No Training Wheels

Hello!
Its voyage 183 for the Allure of the Seas and it is my third cruise. I've only 26 left to go! Best to look at it in forms of weeks instead of days.

It is official. The training wheels are being removed! As a result I will be given more responsibilities. For instance, I learned how to scrape and make ice (resurface) the ice rink using a Zamboni! Yeah...could totally drive that. Also, I will be placed into the venue duty rotation. Each week a single crew member from each major venue is placed on duty which pretty much means that A)Duty Crew Member is not allowed to leave the ship - for the week B)Duty Crew Member is in charge of early morning and late night ice upkeep and venue open/close C) Is anyone needs anything...anytime...call the Duty Crew Member. In a nutshell, its kind of grunt work. Lamesauce.

Ship Safety wise it means that my position in any emergency has changed. I am no longer the little green card that assists only if necessary...but a RED card. Woo, Crew with Red cards are a part of the Guest Assembly Station Groups and in the event that we would have to abandon the ship I am there scanning guest SeaPasses as they get into the life boat (so they are accounted for)and in I go as well. So mom, i'll be perfectly fine. Crappy thing is that we all have to rotate doing the life vest demonstration every Sunday. I do believe my turn is coming up next week -_-

The ship has left Ft. Lauderdale and we are on our Eastern Caribbean Route so our first stop will be Nassau, Bahamas. I have not had a chance to get off ship there yet, but it will have to wait two weeks since..well i'm on duty..and next week we will be on our Western Caribbean Route.
I have pictures from around the ship of some of the 'neighborhoods' like Central Park, the Boardwalk and the Club Level, but they are trapped on my iPad and it is difficult to get them on the internet via the ships network. I'm afraid i'll have to wait until I go onshore and find a wifi spot.

As for being social i'm getting along well with the other hands and technicians from the different venues. Its the other crew members outside my division that one must worry about. Not going to lie - there are some...interesting characters around here. Just do my best to not be wandering the ship late at night and stay away from Deck 3 after hours...apparently we have a Fillipino Mafia on board and that is where they hang out.
I finally made it up to one of the Crew Bars to watch the Spurs Game and I decided to treat myself to a beer. I was shocked when I only paid $1.30 for it, a Dos XX too by the way. Alright so I had two. But the game was super exciting and I was the only one in there rooting for the Spurs. The Scottish ladies behind me were all about OKC - whateves. Then of course after the game finished my Taco Cabana craving resurfaced : (

Running backstage tracks for the shows has become far less complicated now that I figured out how to adjust what was done previously - to fit me. My coworkers have been very accomodating and willing to help, which is always nice. Makes things easier. I only almost knocked over a skater once, I moved a prop too early and when she came rushing off the ice she crashed into it - she was fine....
So Royal Caribbean has a contract with DreamWorks - you know the Shrek/How to Train your Dragon/Kung Fu Panda/Madagascar people - and the characters are all over the ship especially twice a week when we have the 'Move it, Move it" Parade on the Royale Promenade. My duty for all of this is to set up three rather large inflatables, ensure the DJ has everything he needs, and help with Parade Performer Control ("Can I get the Penguins behind the Three Little Pigs Please!!"). The inflatables alone make me break a sweat - one of them is a HUGE Dragon that requires three rather large sandbags to weigh it down. Thats a trip up and down the stairs. I swear my biceps are going to be amazing.

Thats all I've got time for, for now. Ive got to go resurface the ice rink pretty soon - ha, that will be nice to add to the special skill section of my resume.

Chao!

Voyage 180 (Steph's First Cruise)

Heyo!

I have completed my first week (First Cruise) aboard what we lovingly call Allureville. The first week, i'm not going to lie was pretty rough. Being that I am a new hire I have to go through a gauntlet of ship safety training. Yes, this place is a fabulously beautiful floating hotel...but it is still a ship - and danger lurks around every turn (not really).

My days start early around 8am and end around 1:30a-2:00a. The first week, training took up much of my mornings into the afternoon and then I had my regularly scheduled duties after, which took me into the morning of the next day.

My main location onboard is Studio B - it is the onboard Ice Rink/Theatre/Party Space. I also work all over the ship. As you can imagine, this ship being the biggest in the world, it is a bit challenging and overwhelming to get from place to place. There is a main 'highway' called the I95 that runs the length of the ship (akin to the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom) and there are endless stairways and elevators to get to locations on each deck. BUT! One must be careful and observe the posted signs that look like a bunch of random letter/numbers because - those signs tell you that these stairs/elevators only go as high as *insert deck # here*. Then you have to think - should I be on the Starboard or Port side, Forward or Aft - yeah. The struggle was real the first week. I had to leave 20-30 minutes before my appointed time just so I could find my way. The crew is pretty friendly and if they see that you have that wandering look about you they will ask if you need help.

I was unfortunately unable to get off the ship the first week : ( They held my passport hostage until I could go through immigration when we got back to Ft. Lauderdale (yesterday). But now everything is good and I can go out to port if I wish to wake up early enough ; p

The job training itself is a little challenging as well. I am the only female in the group - though these guys don't hold it against me - they only mind how 'tiny' I am. I am also the only American. The other guys are either from the UK, Phillipines, Barbados, Trinidad & Tabago.

Out of the several shows that Studio B produces I was expected to run the backstage tracks for them all unaided (after only shadowing the guy I was going to replace, once!!!) - and I have not even seen the show. I was given a track sheet for only one show (which was written in 2012 by a man from the Phillipines whose English is a bit choppy - You should see my scibble revisons all over those papers!!), "Ice Games" some skating show based on Monopoly and paralleling it to places around the ship. That one is the most complicated. There is a lot of heavy lifting involved - and some of it while being on the ice. Luckily we get to wear spikes on our shoes, but they only help moderatley.

Another show in the venue is "How to Train your Dragon - On Ice!" I've never seen the film, but it is pretty well attended. The track for this show is not very complicated....except I am in charge of this double headed rippleback dragon...thing. Yeah, this dragon is rather huge and likes to attack skaters as they exit.

Studio B also hosts other events like comedy shows, Battle of the Sexes Games, Glow Parties. For those events there is a metal floor that slides out from beneath the seats, which is kind of cool!

There is also a dive show onboard at the Aqua Theatre called "Ocean Aria" - this show...i'm not going to lie is 45 minutes long for no reason. The story: Obviously the show translates as Ocean...expressive melody yadda yadda. It has divers (from 3 & 10 meters/1 high dive), strength artists, dancers, and acrobats. It is supposed to portray some underwater world....or something. Yeah. Currently I am running spot for that show, which is fun since that is something I have not done for about 4 years. Brings back some Shamu Rocks Texas memories : ) Good times.

Anywho! The Broadway show on the ship is 'Chicago'. That show happens in the Amber Theatre, though I have not had much to do with that one just yet, I just occasionally help with strike (putting away lighting equipment, moving set pieces for storage, etc).

We start the Eastern Caribbean Cruise this week. We just left Nassau and are now on our way to St. Maarten and St. Thomas. The water this trip is a bit choppy. Up until now I have never been able to feel the sway on the ship, but it is pretty constant now. When I am in the theatres I can see the curtains and decorations sway with the ship, then it brings me back and I remember...I'm on a cruise ship. It is easy to forget.

Alright, that is all I've got for now. Hopefully this upcoming Sunday (when i'm back in Ft. Lauderdale) I will be able to post pictures of things/places from around the ship! I'll try to squat at a Starbucks or something : ) Cheers!

Miami, FL...

Hello!

As most of you already know I have accepted a six month contract with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to work as a Technical Stage Staff member. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what this job entails. In the interview they were very keen on my experiences working on the Azul show at SeaWorld.

I gander this job will be a little bit of everything from stage hand to light/sound operator and general handy...chick. Well, I know what I know and I hope this proves to be a learning experience that is away from the SeaWorld security blanket.

I left SA on a 5am flight to Houston with a connection into Miami. I have been in Florida previously when I worked at Walt Disney World, and this place is still as humid and sticky as I remember. And it rains everyday between the hours of 3-6pm.

I've been put up in a not too shady (but shady enough)Ramada Inn for the evening (meal vouchers included for dinner and breakfast) with orders to report to the Lobby at 7am tomorrow for transport to the Port in Fort Lauderdale.

The Cuban culture is very apparent in this area of Miami, I could not help but think of episodes of Dexter. Between the hotel and the airport I easily heard five or six different languages. Honestly, the area kind of reminds me of a nicer street in a Mexico City neighborhood. I'm too much of a pansy to go strutting about this hood, so I've kept to my room.

Other crew members checked in with me, all older males. I appear to be the only female this go round and thus...have this double bed room to myself. And I spend my time watching the Jaws marathon on
AMC....how appropriate.

I've the impression that internet access will be scarce. But who knows.....

Anywho!  The ship I have been assigned to is called The Allure of the Seas. Basic information about the ship can be found.....
here

It's got stuff! A broadway show, a dive show and some kiddie friendly characters. Still all in all I have no idea what exactly I'll be doing.

Hopefully tomorrow when I get aboard I can settle in and get a tour as well as a job overview.

I'll tell you all about it sometime.

Until then, cheers!

Steph