Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: Belize, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Miami, Stage Staff, Tampa, World's Largest Cruise Ship
It feels like I’m getting back with an old lover. That is if I ever had a lover that I would get back with. Or if I ever had a lover.
I’m in Tampa Florida for two days to get the necessary articles of clothing back in my wardrobe and to feel better. When I left Freedom of the Seas in March I never thought I’d go back on a ship. I caught a cold in my last week in Mongolia along with 1/2 of the country. I flew for 28 hours up over Siberia, near the North Pole, over the Hudson Bay and finally to D.C. then to Tampa. All with a painful ear squeeze. My mother tells me I could have blown my ears out if it got worse.
It’s 19 hours since I landed in Tampa and my ears are still pressurized. I have a new package of sudafed and an Antibiotic to take for the next 10 days. I get on the ship in 3 days. Hopefully my ears will equalize by the time I get on the next plane.
If you aren’t updated. I’m going to be working on the Liberty of the Seas. I meet the ship on Oct. 22nd in Cozumel, Mexico. I don’t know if I have enough time on the island to get a platter of chicken fajitas but in two weeks I surely will try.
The most ironic thing is that I was excited to get back to a ship because many ships had a new home port of Cape Canaveral. I was pissed off at Miami mostly because I didn’t like the cuban sandwiches there. Liberty of the Seas however has taken over the route that Freedom of the Seas was doing. So it’s the same Itinerary most of the time. In addition to the itinerary I know there is also one week where we will go to Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico. I’m excited about new ports. We’ll see if they are excited about me.
And I have to mention that the Liberty is also the World’s Largest Cruise Ship. It’s the same ship plan as the Freedom. It’s one year younger and I’m going on 8 months after I got off of Freedom.
Yep, I’m back with an old lover.
Took a wonderful stroll in CocoWalk, Miami today. I haven’t seen a movie in a real movie theater in months. I took the time today to sleep in and then head to Coconut Grove to see Bolt, the new disney movie. But most of all it was great to be out of sight of the ship.
It was a wonderful day with quesadillas for lunch and a good moving picture. I was afraid I would get stuck in Coconut Grove because as I entered the movie theater they were setting up parade barriers along the road. It took a few minutes to walk around but finally when I left there was one lone Taxi waiting to whisk me back to the ship.
Two weeks ago I heard of a couple of dancers going surfing in St. Maarten. It sounded fun then and I think they are going back. This time I will be going with them. It’s a secret location where the surf is big enough and the sky is wide open. Did I mention that I don’t know how to surf? It’s a good enough time as any to start now.
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: Chinese Food, Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Sam's Wok
I’m on the Chinese Run. Last Cozumel I ate some amazing Chinese Food at Sam’s Wok. San Juan this run, I got the cheap Chinese from a hole in the wall place. St. Thomas I ran out to get Some Chinese from the Great Wall restaurant. And I’ll end the run in St. Maarten while looking over downtown Phillipsburg eating the best Chinese food I ever had in the Caribbean. I’ll probably end up getting the runs from all this chinese food.
At the conclusion of this run I find myself not in the same old place. This week is the Western run which goes to Ocho Rios and Cozumel. The only port that I know of Chinese Food and haven’t eaten there is in fact Ocho Rios. The Great Chinese Run of ‘08 will not end there my friends. Oh it will not. I will partake in the Jamaican Chinese cuisine but then I will end my run at the new Chinese King of the Caribbean, Sam’s Wok.
It might be too early to declare a winner but I’m just like a college football pundit, I’m paid for my lack of foresight, not for the lack of foreskin, like jewish comedians. I declare the winner of this year’s Great Chinese Run of ‘08 to be Sam’s Wok, Cozumel, Mexico. Let the celebrations begin.
Got free Acupuncture again. This time it’s a nice guy from California. The last acupuncture I got was from a pretty young girl. This time did not go well. When he put some needles in my feet they went too far and hurt. As I type this I’m getting hypochondriactic and feeling my foot on fire.
We went into Code Red last week, had to clean for three hours Sunday morning. Everybody had to clean everything.
How much can I tell you about Code Red? Well for starters I think this is information I can’t really say. If I can’t talk about it with Guests then I can’t talk about it on this blog. But that makes it really interesting, doesn’t it?
Let’s say this about “Code Red.” A year ago there was Code Green, which is normal, good. Then Code Yellow, which is heightened awareness. And then finally Code Red which is a bad situation. Sounds pretty simple, right?
Not simple enough for Royal Caribbean. So to simplify this procedure they got rid of Code Yellow. But they added another Code Red. But to avoid confusion they created informal elevated Green. So now there is Code Green, That’s good, everything is fine. Then there’s Elevated Code Green, some extra duties and what have you. Then it goes right into Code Red, Level 1. This is when everyone gets involved. Next, yes there’s even more red than Code Red. We have Code Red Level 2. Highest level. That’s it.
I wonder if I said too much.
It’s breezy at best. Miami has turned to the Winter, a nice crisp air with relatively low humidity for a southern city. In the shade I need pants but in the sun it’s warm like an open oven. I make my way downtown to grab some free internet and deposit my paychecks. The ATM won’t accept any more cash and my internet search finds me at Starbucks paying four dollars for two hours of internet. Oh well it’s fast. I start downloading a hundred podcasts. I have to stock up, this week is going to be all about resting.
Last week I worked both Arcadia Theater and Studio B and I was on duty. Which means I would finish in Arcadia with the shows and change over then go to Studio B to clean up what I could. Thankfully a couple days the boys over there helped me out and did the little things well. I could just grab the garbage and run. I didn’t have to do any major things. The only downside was waking up at 8am to do Ice Makes and then staying up till well past midnight working in Arcadia. In the end it’s not that bad. I know it could be worse and it has been. If that was what work would be like every week I could get used to it.
I was told before I got hired that I would be doing 70 hour weeks. In reality that is the worst week ever and it’s happened. Actually I’ve done 80 to 90 hour weeks, maxing out my available hours. It’s not pretty but I’ve survived and many people do that week in and week out. I’m lucky that those are my worst weeks and not normal.
my back and neck are tense. I have to stretch more. The one night I stretched before a show I felt good. Now I’m getting lazy and not stretching. So back to the gym I go, the girlfriend isn’t around so I have time. I know I’ll have more energy when I go to the gym so, Why Not?
I’m a citizen of the Why Not? Nation now. Royal Caribbean has changed their amazing slogan of “Get Out There” to the amazing lackluster slogan of “Why Not?” They’ve gone on to ban the use of song “Lust for Life” which used to be the song in their commercials. Now it’s more like “Ambivalence towards this thing we call life whatever it may be.”
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: arcadia theater, john joseph, johnny B., rockiest day, writing
IT’s been at least three weeks and I haven’t regretted a single moment. The past three weeks have been spent with my girlfriend who just left on Sunday and I couldn’t be lonelier. It’s quite sad that I knew the day would come and I would return to my normal pitiful self who rambles about the confines of this prison like existence and really tries but doesn’t get anywhere.
But in other news, found out one of the singers in the production shows is a writer. He’s a musical theater person and likes to write, what? screenplays, awesome. SO I approach him and he says to swap unfinished screenplays. I give him Minimum Wage Santa and also a few scenes from a Country Band screenplay I’ve worked on. Nothing I’ve worked on since getting on the ship and maybe putting in front of someone will spur me to finish them. I’ve asked if he wants to write some silly musical numbers about ship life. We’ll see what happens.
John Joseph and Johnny B. are the headliner act this week. I’ve worked backstage for their show twice before and I’m excited to see them again. Great guys who have helped me with my stand up comedy. I’ll see if they want to sit down for an interview after their hell day. In St. Maarten this week they stay overnight in a hotel then wake up and get on the ship then a rehearsal in the afternoon then two shows late night, 9pm and 10:45pm.
So the shows go well but the ship’s rocking unbelieveably. It’s the worst rocking since I got on this ship. We have to strap everything backstage down extra tight and lock everything that has a wheel. Every few minutes it sounds like we hit a whale.
P.S. 200th POST! I can’t wait for the next 200! Maybe I’ll be in Japan, Maybe I’ll be traveling the south selling Gizzards, Maybe I’ll be in Germany working in an Ice Show. Thank you to all those who read this stuff, I should probably amend that. Thank you to the one person who reads this. Thank you!
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: bobsledding, Broadcast Tech, film school, jamaica
Didn’t go Bobsledding. Tried without avail to contact some people who were interested in going. Only heard later that there was a large group of people who now want to go. The tide is rising and soon I will go bobsledding. It might turn out to be like Mini-Golf was last contract. It was the holy grail of port activities. I kept trying to go but nobody wanted to or when I did get someone to go I had to stay on the ship for some reason.
Been really busy following around a broadcast tech. He’s been very nice and showing me the daily grind of broadcast techs. It’s everything I had dreamed about when I first applied for a job on a cruise ship. Talking with the Head Broadcast, who is ultimately the person who signs off that I am capable of being promoted, He has said that I pretty much just need to master Editing and Shooting. Everything else can be and should be learned on board a ship, on the job. Thankfully those are the only two things I know I am capable of at this point.
He said a reel would be helpful. That is my next task. At the very least having a reel helps for job applications and of course the main reason I’m training now, for Film School. Funny thing about film school, A lot of people come from Film School and start work on ships. They end up not working out because film school teaches you a certain structured way of “shooting film.” Onboard this is one particular way of shooting. I’ll have many different projects that require different set of skills.
Just today they were going over a fake commercial for the cruise director. They also shot a show live and finalized the Cruise in Review. The commercial takes the basic skills of shooting for a final short sequence. Shooting the live show takes technical skills as it’s the same show every week. The Cruise In Review is a meat grinder and involves run and gun shooting for events and just people around the ship.
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: Confetti, Duty, Facial, Medical, New guy
Last night I got a call from Hammad in the Spa that they needed a model for a facial. I jumped at the chance. So Sunday might turn out to be really good even though I have to be on Duty again.
But the day actually began with a box. A call woke me up that a box had arrived for us. Put on my uniform and headed out the door. Found Ricardo standing next to a large road-case marked The Magic of Drew Thomas. It took five of us to get it into Arcadia Theater Backstage. Wish Drew had been there to levitate it or teleport it.
Why am I waking up this early on a Sunday? It’s because the person who left today was supposed to be on duty this week. So I took an extra day and Earlon will be on duty the rest of the week. It works out for me because I still get to go bobsledding in Jamaica and Cemetary Beach in Grand Cayman. I have to give up my Sunday, which would have included getting new pants, but all is well in Kamphey’s Pants Land. I can go an extra week.
Went back to my room and hit my head pretty darn hard on the bunk bed. I fell to the ground for a good 20 seconds. For at least another hour or so I felt a little dizzy and groggy. I got a call that the new stage staff is on board. I ran by his room and showed him around. His name is Jack and he’s from London. That’s about all I know so far.
We went to the mess and I saw a couple people who I would sit down with. Jack went out for a smoke. I put down my coffee mug and say “boy what a morning. I hit my head on my bed and almost was knocked out.” The Staff Captain (2nd in command of the ship) was at the table nearby and heard this. He said for me to go to the Medical Facility. I said I was fine and that it was just a headache. He then said if I didn’t go to Medical that I would get a written warning later from my supervisor. I almost ran down to Medical at that point. For some reason I have a morbid fear of written warnings.
I walk in and they say I have to have my supervisor with me. Oh great. An embarrassing phone call later Chris is there and as amused at the whole thing as I am. During talking, or rather trying to joke, with the nurse Chris says, “he might have the symptoms of a concussion but I assure you this is how he acts normally.”
The best line was when asked when I have to work next I replied, “I have a facial in 20 minutes.” The nurse either got uber pissed or almost pissed her self trying not to laugh. Chris couldn’t help but laugh. Sitting for another 10 minutes I realized that I might not make it to the facial. I called Madoka who ran over to Medical and she said that she would go in my place if needed. Oh so bad to have to get a facial.
It ended up that she actually didn’t like it at all because modeling is not just getting a facial or acupuncture, it’s a long long wait. My acupuncture thankfully took just over an hour. Madoka had to lay still while getting a facial for two and a half hours. Later she complained that now her body was sore.
At night I was showing Jack, the new stage staff, the carts we use during the parade at night. We store them backstage out of the way, only taking them out just before the parade. Inside there are two buttons one for confetti and one for inflating an inflatable animal. I was showing him that he has to test the batteries when he switches out the animals. We open them up and he goes “the green button, right?” All I could think was “huh?” when POOF we were covered in confetti. He had pushed the confetti button. I laughed for about five minutes and just started to clean up. He kept saying he was sorry and I just kept thinking how cool that was. It was really beautiful, like being caught in a color tornado but without all the wrath and havoc of a real tornado.
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles | Tags: Broadcast Tech, documentary, Promotion
What does it take to get a promotion around here? Apparently a bit of rumor. Tonight I have had about 10 inquisitions about my training as Broadcast tech. I started to follow one amicable broadcast tech around to see if it was something I would like and now I’m getting a call from the Head Stage Staff about an email with my name in it about being a broadcast tech. I mentioned that I have been training to be a broad cast tech to apparently the three correct people. The cruise director, my production manager, and the head stage staff.
As many of the people reading this blog know, from working with me is that I love having a camera on my shoulder. I actually got this job as Stage Staff when I was told I don’t have enough experience to be a Broadcast Tech. I planned on coming on the ship and training immediately for broadcast but the whole ship life got in the way and I finally got back to my original game plan.
Having started and carried on for three years the best film fest to hit Gainesville, FL is nothing to be shy about. The only problem is that I didn’t pick up a camera for nearly any of it except for 24 hours of documentary filming for the first year’s fest. Oh, other than that I only have one producer credit for a late night talk show. And five minute documentaries don’t count… do they? Does having good taste count? Did I just infer that I have good taste?
Okay I’m going out on a limb but it’s because I’m excited. Just having the opportunity to train as broadcast tech is amazing. If the only thing I get out of this is a little knowledge and I find out I won’t be a broadcast tech then so be it. I’m still applying to film school and I know for damn sure that at the very least one poor film school will accept me. That is all I need to carry on. So carry on, I shall.
Filed under: Cruise Crew Chronicles
For the last 36 hours the ship has been reminding me that we are in fact on a ship. It’s so large and I’ve gotten used to the motion of the ocean that for the most part I forget that I’m on a ship. It feels more like a large hotel. When the seas get rocky though, it’s another ball game. My legs begin to wear must easier as muscles that I usually don’t use start to engage. The equipment I have to push around gets heavier or unwieldy around corners. Sometimes if the rocking is really bad we have to tie down everything we use that has wheels.
Today’s Ice show was interesting. At least a few of the skaters felt a little ill already from the rocking and then the safety of the show is in jeopardy due to the rocking. The Bridge put out the stabilizers for the show but I don’t know if anything changed. If skating wasn’t affected then at the very least standing backstage on skates was affected as many skaters were seen stumbling a little bit. Everything worked out though, no injuries, and of course there was a standing ovation at the end of the show.
A bittersweet last show of the week. Richton is leaving us on Sunday. He’s an excellent fellow stage staff even if we don’t get along swimmingly. As Randal an old Light Tech said, sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Supposedly the person who is replacing him is from Great Britain and has done Voyager class ships. And speaking of, Randal will be coming back soon. I wasn’t told when but right now there are three light techs on board so it can’t be until at least one of the leaves. We’re only supposed to have two, one for each theater.
Dragan, the Head stage staff, is feeling ill from the rocking. He has gone on and on about how this is his 2nd contract and he still gets sick. Even if some people take Dramamine, it doesn’t help. I guess it’s good that I grew up on a lot of boats. This rocking is nothing compared to some of the seas I was in on the tiniest of boats, or kayaks or canoes.
