Tuesday, April 30, 2013

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

Today was the first of three sea days (oy!)

It was a busy day of continuing to train my successor, but a productive one.  I started to do a little packing.  I am very excited that I managed to do quite well with my supply of toiletries . . . I am almost out of shampoo, facial scrub, and body wash.  I finished my hand soap.  I am down to my last bottle of contact solution, deodorant, Zicam, etc. 

Tonight’s main stage show was Justino’s Comedy Magic, starring my buddy, Justino Zoppe!  I will be sad to leave he and Daniela, but look forward to working with them again in the very near future.  Last night, I received a minor “trick” from Justino.  He decided it would be cute to have the Production Supervisor, shore side, email me to tell me that I was needed to extend for two weeks.  My initial reaction was “nope – I already have things lined up.”  Well, it only took me a few seconds to realize that this was the Production Supervisor trying to “get me.”  A few seconds after that it dawned on my that Justino probably had something to do with it too.  I went to tell him and Daniela, to see his reaction, and she couldn’t keep a straight face, at which point I knew I was trying to be had . . . but you have to wake up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on me!   Well, that’s what I tell myself, and in this one instance, it’s true (pfew).  Despite that, I still think Justino and Daniela are pretty great and I told both he and the Produciton Supervisor that . . .

It may not be today.
It may not be tomorrow.
But payback is a bitch!

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2013

Not counting today, I have 3 days to go.  I am SOOOOOOO ready to be home!

Today we were in St. Thomas, which is one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands.  I did a little bit of work in the office, bright and early, and was off the ship by 9:30am.  I didn't venture away from the port area . . . I haven't done one single excursion during this contract.  Hmmmmm.  I am OK with it, too.  Anyway, I went to a coffee shop and sat outside, did some work and some play (including skype instant messaging with Erin) on my laptop, and just enjoyed the fresh air and being on solid ground.

Oh, once again, I didn't take any photos in St. Thomas, but give thanks to the great Google . . .





Tonight, Tim Kaminski, a comedian who boarded yesterday, performed at 7pm and 9pm.  He's been working cruise ships for ages, so he has a bit of a "following" of passengers who've seen him before.  He was very well received.

Monday, April 29, 2013

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

Today we were in St. Maarten.  I stayed on the Dutch side of the island.  I walked from the port over to the beach/boardwalk area (about a 15 minute walk) and then walked the entire length of the Boardwalk.  As I was walking back, I decided upon a little restaurant with a wooden deck, overlooking the ocean and the bay.  Since I was in the tropics, I decided on a tropical (though not healthy) lunch of coconut shrimp (& french fries) and two pina coladas.  My diet is shot, and I've accepted that, until I return home, so what the heck.  There was a . . . how do I say this delicately . . . let's say "local" place next door (I wouldn't have eaten there).  It was fenced off behind the restaurant part (on the boardwalk), but being down-wind, I could smell a constant scent of pot.  I think after 2 hours I was actually a bit high from the second-hand smoke.  OK, I jest, but it was certainly pungent!  I walked back to the ship and was in my cabin by 2:15pm for a nap - I don't know if it was the rum, the grease, or the sun, but it wiped me out and I didn't feel great.




Tonight, Arte Diem performed for the final time.  They debark on Friday (as do I - YIPPEEEEEEE!) and head directly to Sweden for a rehearsal on Saturday, May 4, for a Eurovision performance later in the month.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them and working with them, especially Timo, the producer/artistic director.  I hope to work with them again in the very near future.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013

Today was another day at sea.  It was relatively calm, and it’s warm & sunny – perfect weather for cruising!

This afternoon, Margie Hobbs, who is one of our principal musicians (piano/vocal lounge musician) performed a show with the show band on the main stage.  Because it was such a beautiful day, the pool was packed and the show lightly attended (about 40% full).  Nonetheless, she gave a lovely performance – yes, I watched/listened to the whole thing.

Tonight is The Second City troupe’s main stage performance.  They are always well-received, and I predict tonight will be no exception.  I expect to watch the 9pm performance.  At 10pm, the production cast will perform their MAMMA MIA (ABBA) medley at the 70s Groove Party in the Spinnaker Lounge.  Once again, this will be a “last one” for me.  Should I be feeling nostalgic?  I’m not.  Hmmmmmmm.

We are now more than half way through this repositioning cruise.  Speaking of repositioning cruises . . .

When I first boarded the Norwegian Dawn, it was on October 31, 2012 in Boston, MA.  At that point, I was boarding as an independent contractor, serving as the production stage manager for 2.5 weeks, to install the new production cast, with whom I had just spent 4 weeks rehearsing in Tampa.  I’ve already written about how the story changed, but what I haven’t written about, as I didn’t realize it until about a month ago, is that several of the ports at which we stopped on our way down the East coast, en route to Tampa, were first-time stops for the Norwegian Dawn.  Outside of the Aqua Restaurant, there is a wall with photographs, plaques, etc. of “inaugurals” for the ship.  I was looking at it one evening about a month or so ago and noticed that several of our stops on that repositioning cruise last fall were firsts for this ship . . .

November 5, 2012 - Baltimore, MD

November 5, 2012 - Baltimore, MD

November 7, 2012 - Charleston, SC

November 7, 2012 - Charleston, SC       
November 11, 2012 - Tampa, FL

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2103

Today we were in Aruba.  Yes, go ahead mom, sing The Beach Boys’ song again.  It’s a stone’s throw from Curacao.  I did 2 hours of work this morning and then got off the ship.  I walked around for about an hour before finally settling on a Cuban restaurant (with outdoor seating . . . that was a priority for me) for some lunch and a few mojitos.  Aruba is clearly undergoing a great deal of construction, with trolley tracks laid throughout the downtown area, and cobblestone streets being built around them.  I relaxed this afternoon and it was wonderful to be off of the ship for so long.  Thanks again to google for the artwork.




Tonight’s main stage entertainer was Stephen Kane, who is a singer and pianist.  To refer to him as a pianist really does not do him justice.  The speed and agility that the man can play the piano is astounding.  He covered so many of the great singing “piano men” . . . Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Elton John, and more.  It was quite a night.  He was backed by the show band for the majority of his set, but did do some fancy solo work too.

On another note, today is my "half birthday."  I only remember that, as it was also my Grandma May's birthday.  I am now closer to 38 than 37.  OY!

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

 Today we were in Curacao.  My intention was to do a little bit (very little bit) of work with Kate, my successor, this morning, and then be ashore for the majority of the day (we didn’t leave until 11pm tonight).  Several things happened all at once, as far as scheduling/paperwork/etc. while Kate and I were working in the morning, so it took longer than expected.  I let her go at noon, whereupon I started working on the final evaluations for the production cast (which I have to write and administer to them next week, as I was the one to work with them for the majority of their contract, although they are here for one week longer than I.  I finally got off the ship at 6pm!

Curacao is a Dutch island and it looks like Disney’s “It’s a Small World” attraction that’s come to life full-sized.  It’s really cute.  I didn’t have too much time here, as I needed to get back, shower, change, etc. as I wanted to catch the 9pm main stage show.  So, I wandered around a bit.  I took two photos, one of the buildings across the water (that remind me of the Disney attraction) and then a giant bridge spanning the water (in complete contrast to the quaint buildings).



There is also a floating bridge that I saw adjacent to the land mass that I was on, that swings out over the water (a small bay, perhaps?) and connects to the land mass upon which the “It’s A Small World” buildings were.  I didn’t get to see it connecting the two sections of land, but it was still cool to see and imagine the connection.  There’s also a ferry that travels back & forth between the two land masses.  Once again, I didn't take a photo of it, but found some wonderful ones on google.

 
 
Tonight’s main stage entertainer was a stand-up comedian named Rick Starr.  He was very funny and one of his big “selling points” is that he is “clean” in his humor.  He told a joke tonight (that a passenger told him, nonetheless).  He was funny in his set-up saying how it’s humorous to him how people feel the need to tell jokes to comics.  This one he enjoyed, so he told it in his show.  It cracked me up.  I called both Mom (who is in Florida) and Dad (who is in NY for a week) to tell them, as I knew they’d enjoy it.  I’m sure Aunt Dana will enjoy it when she reads it here.

There were two friends who shared the same birthday.  Every year, since they were growing up, they celebrated their birthdays together. 

When their 20th birthday came, one said to the other, “where do you want to go to celebrate our birthday?”  The other replied, “how about the Sunset Grille?  They have hot women waitresses and cold beer.”

When their 40th birthday came, one said to the other, “where do you want to go to celebrate our birthday?”  The other replied, “how about the Sunset Grille?  They have a big table where we can spread out and prepare for tomorrow’s presentation.”

When their 60th birthday came, one said to the other, “where do you want to go to celebrate our birthday?”  The other replied, “how about the Sunset Grille?  They a great low-cholesterol / high-fiber diet.”

When their 70th birthday came, one said to the other, “where do you want to go to celebrate our birthday?”  The other replied, “how about the Sunset Grille?  They have handicapped parking and a ramp from the parking lot up to the front door.”

When their 80th birthday came, one said to the other, “where do you want to go to celebrate our birthday?”  The other replied, “how about the Sunset Grille?  We’ve never been there.”


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

We were at sea again today.  Tonight’s show was BAND ON THE RUN.  It’s one of the production shows I’ve been working on since October and tonight was my last performance.  It’s probably my favorite of the three.  Both performances went very well.  I ‘called’ the first show (cues) and oversaw my successor call the second show.  She did well.

I forgot to mention on yesterday’s post that Justino and Daniela were only supposed to be here through sometime in late March (I think).  They had to have more supplies sent to the ship once their contract was extended.  Somehow, they misjudged the quantity they had of one prop, and I noticed it during their second (and final) show Monday night (I won’t say what it was, as I doubt anyone else who saw the show noticed it).  Because I’ve developed a good relationship with them, I couldn’t resist being a bit of a ball-buster (hey, I am my father’s son . . . and Justino dishes it out just fine, too).  So, during the show, I called their cabin and left a sarcastic message about the illusion show I was watching and how NCL must really be cutting corners these days (because of the recycling of props as noted above).  I figured that for sure, I’d receive a call from Justino at 2am, after the show was packed up.  I didn’t.

What I DID receive was a minor surprise on Tuesday morning when I arrived at my desk in the production/cruise staff office.  Justino had covered my computer and desk with post-it “to do” notes, most of which were sarcastic, inside jokes between he and I.  I laughed so hard I cried.


TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Today we were in Ocho Rios (8 rivers, which is a misnomer), Jamaica.  I got off the ship at 2:30, started to walk around, and was back on the ship at 3:00pm.  I don’t even remember the number of times people tried to sell me something.  I had heard some frightening stories about cruise passengers and Jamaica, so I didn’t want to stray too far.  But, near the port, it’s a complete tourist trap.  I don’t need it.  So, as far as I’m concerned, I can now say that I’ve been to Jamaica, mon.  I don’t need to go back.  And no, I didn't take these photos, but they're good aerial views of the port & where I was/what I saw.  Thank you, google.




With this 12 day cruise, we have several additional guest entertainers on and off the ship.  Tonight, Dolores Park, who boarded on Sunday and will sail with us until next Sunday, performed.  She is a “diva” in every GOOD sense of the word!  What a stage presence.  The audience loved her.  Throughout my contract, I have tried to watch each guest entertainer perform a full show at least once.  With the running around and the need for some “me time,” it doesn’t always happen.  But, for this final cruise, I am trying to do so.  I enjoyed Dolores (who performed with the Norwegian Dawn Show Band) a great deal.  In addition, she was low maintenance, and a joy with which to work.  I hope to work with her again.


MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

Today was a sea day . . . meaning we were “at sea,” as opposed to at a port of call.

Tonight, Justino and Daniela Zoppe performed their EXTREME VEGAS show, as they have weekly, since February 10, for the last time.  They are outstanding entertainers, and even better people!  I have had the great fortune to get to know them personally, and I look forward to continuing to develop both a friendship, and personal relationship, with them once we all debark this ship on May 3rd.

Check them out at . . .

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013

OK, so per my mother’s request (and the dismay of my neighbors, Wendy & Andy, and my Polish family, Maciej & Ewa), I’m going to write a few final posts as I wrap up this contract.

Today we departed Tampa for the last time.  We are now on a repositioning cruise to . . . well, reposition the ship for the summer months.  Starting May 3, the ship will sail weekly itineraries between Boston and Bermuda.  That lasts until sometime in September (I think) when it will do a weekly New England itinerary, until late fall when it repositions back to Tampa for the winter 2013-2014 season.  I was scheduled to have brunch with Mom and Dad today, but on Friday, we decided that since they have been so busy, and since I will be seeing them on May 8, we’d forget it.  It was good, since my replacement boarded this morning, and I wanted to greet her.  She’ll be training with me for the next 12 days.  In addition, the production supervisor, from shore side, came aboard with some contractors that looked at the theater, in preparation for the building of a new rehearsal studio in Tampa.  I finally got off the ship about 11:45am, went to the ATM in Ybor City one last time, and went to the coffee shop, where I had become a regular, to make some telephone calls, and do some computer/(free) internet work.

I was back on the ship at 3pm, and my final itinerary began . . .

Thursday, April 11, 2013

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

Well, today is supposed to be our weekly day at Costa Maya, Mexico.  Unfortunately, because the wind was too strong and the seas too rough, we were not able to dock.  This happened a month or so ago with a Carnival ship.  And today it's our turn.  Costa Maya is odd - it's on the Caribbean Sea, and there is no cove, or break wall, or anything . . . the ships essentially act as the "break wall" at that port.  Damn!  I could've used a margarita!!!!!!!

No, I didn't take this photo . . .