OPP Level 2 (Code Red)... Uh oh...

Currently the ship is at OPP leavel 2. "What does that mean," you might ask. Well, let me tell you. Nothing good.

OPP Levels are measurement of the severity of GI (Gastro Intestinal or Norovirus) cases on board. There are percentages of crew, passengers or occurence rates that can trigger certain OPP levels. Level 2 means that the entertainment department gets to scrub the theater house, stage, staircases, backstage, dressingrooms, and technical areas with a special cleaner called Oxvir. Imagine how happy a cast is about reporting at 9am for cleaning duty after getting done with work at 1am the night before. Not. Very. Happy.

However, much better than being at the next OPP level. At which point, the house keepers and cleaners are so busy sanitizing and sterilizng, that all other departments become food servers, laundry attendants, and auxilary cleaning staff. I can't wait until I'm dawning a hair net and dishing out fried rice. Woo hoo. So anyway, the cleaning steps we are taking now are in the hope of preventing it from getting any worse. Also in our favor is that OPP Level 2 was triggered on a turnaround day, so all the sick guests got the hell out of here, and we had an empty ship for about 3 hours so all departments could sterilize their areas from top to bottom, and hopefully get the gross out. We'll see.

About the uniform... (since my mom asked...)
Everyone has a day uniform and an evening uniform. My day uniform is black cargo pants and a black polo shirt (with name tag and hair pulled back, of course). And my evening uniform is a black suit with dress shirt and an awkward kerchief thing.

... I think I should rephrase all of that by saying that's what my uniform *should* be.

However, they had absolutely no female production manager uniforms in stock. So I have illfitting black mens cargo pants and two ill fitting black mens cargo shirts (with sleves past my elbows... real classy) that I wear day & night. The uniform attendant said he could order the suit, but it would take 2 months to get here *sigh*. So I complained to Julie who managed to find someone who said they could get it here off another ship by... well... today. So I will visit the uniform department tomorrow to see if it has shown up or not. I just thank my lucky stars that I packed one pair of dress slacks and two passable nice shirts that I can wear at night. But I am pretty pissed that I was specifically told to bring practically no clothes since I would be in uniform 24/7, and alas no uniform. Ugh.

But, to lessen the blow, laundry is $1 for a wash/dry/fold dropoff/pickup service. I drop of at 10am I pick up at 5pm. Totally worth the dollar. (Not to mention that Erin left me with a laundry card that still had a dollar on it, woo hoo!)




At port in Amsterdam for turnaround day (disembarkation of voyage 315 and embarkation of voyage 316). Things to note: The really long line of people on the sidewalk are waiting to be processed for embarkation. Also, the segway store.


Another view of our Amsterdam port. Port engineering must really be quite a feat, because we are such a HUGE vessel, and to be able to anchor so close to land or structures really makes you wonder how much underwater excavation and architecture it is to make everything safe and stable (including the hull of the ship!).


You can see a bit of the downtown skyline.


Thar she blows! (Or sits, I should say, since we were at port).


Another closeup :)


You can almost tell how big she is in this picture, which actually caputres the entire ship.


Me... simply showing off my good hair day.


A picutre of my new birth from the entryway.


Showing off my AWESOME cabinets! I love them :) and sometimes it's the little things.

My First Turnaround Day

At port in Amsterdam for turnaround day (disembarkation of voyage 315 and embarkation of voyage 316).

Pictures... Part 2

So, luckily, I am not very prone to sea sickness. I did, however get off the ship today in Amsterdam for a brief walk and got a little "land sick." You get used to slightly swaying constantly so standing on firm stiff land feels very odd. I can't think of a better way to explain it other than the earth felt very hard and unyielding.

About my job...
The most difficult part of my job is wrangling a cast of 17 on an hour-by-hour basis. However, the most time consuming part of my job is scheduling. scheduling. and more scheduling. I am in a constant state of scheduling for the next type of cruise (right now it's the Mediterannean), the next voyage (starting August 14th), the next pay period, the next week, the next day, and mentally the next hour. It's a bit overwhelming. So many departments run on very different time frames. For the most part entertainment runs on a cruise-by-cruise basis. Cycling a 12 day program schedule. Payroll, however, operates on a bimonthly basis for some paperwork, and a weekly basis for others. (Days of the week, by the way, mean NOTHING to me anymore).

Why I felt stupid one day...
During training, we had a basic diversity discussion one day. It was interesting to watch a video breaking down the demographics of Celebrity Cruises (mostly they hire people from all over the world to do all kinds of work on the ships). Sadly, I believe they do this because they can get away with hiring people from other countries at remarkably low salaries. But that is not really my business. The reason I felt stuipid, was at the end of the video, we went around the room, annouced our name, where we were from, and what languages we spoke. I was the only person in the room who did not speak at least three languages. I didn't even try to save my self by trying to pass my broken spanish as a second language. I immediately felt below-par in the international category.

My roughest day...
On July 30th, the show that night was a variety night. It consisted of a feature from our onboard orchestra, a human statues piece by our aerialists, and a long feature from one of our guest entertainers, Craig Dahn, who is a concert pianist (with a twist). Craig's playing is very modern, and his set ended with a video cued to an audio track. For some reason, even though we had rehearsed it about seven times, the video froze about 10 seconds into the 5 minute long piece. It froze on a snapshot of a stormy sky, so I just left it there because - in my opinion - it looked like an intentional backdrop.

Needless to say, the performer did not agree. When his set was over he refused to bow, and ran off the stage screaming at me repeatedly, "You're pathetic! You're pathetic! You're pathetic!" ... more times than that. And more loudly and scarily than I can type. Eventually the activity manager intervened and backed me up on my decision and told the guy, basically, he was being an a-hole. I was entirely stone-faced about the whole thing. About 5 minutes later I almost had a total breakdown backstage in the guys dressingroom talking to the FOH engineer. I managed not to. No crying onboard yet. Thank goodness - not a good impression on my first cruise. But I did realize that NO ONE had ever spoken to me that way in a professional setting before. I was really upset. About an hour later, Craig was oozing with apologies and pomegranate martinis. Which is good considering we still have one more show to do together.

A slight perk...
Guest entertainers (of which there are 4 per cruise), have the option to sell merchandise. When they do, it is the PM's responsibility to be the seller. Well actually, it is the gift shop's responsibility to be the seller, but we do it instead BECAUSE we get TIPPED! A lot! Like, Craig Dahn will sell merchandise 3 times while he is onboard. And he will tip $20 per time. That's $60 for standing at a table for a grand total of 30 minutes. Some artists time as much as $50 per selling. It just depends (then again, some don't tip at all...). But hey, that's my spending money. It will cover my phone cards, which are expensive - and the one I had ran out while I was talking to Brian last night (sorry lovey!).

Fun facts...
There is a major hallway on deck 1 that is nicknamed the "I-95." It's cute when everyone thinks they have to explain to me what that is referring to, since the I-95 has been a part of my everyday life since I fell out of my mom. But basically, since head office is in Miami, that's where the nickname comes from. And I suppose people just get used to explaining it since almost everyone here is from the Philippines.






This is the final picture I took of my first sailaway. The canals in Holland are very industrial for the most part. Not very photogenic.



July 24th was the first day I got off the ship to visit a port. And it was here in Flam, Norway. A very lovely (and VERY small) town. Some very cool nods to viking history. Like the pub Erin and I went to had iron dragon heads on the roof peaks.


I took this picture to get a shot of the adorable bridge in the town.


So pretty!


A view of the bridge (ship control center/brain) and the strangest prenant ape statue I've ever seen. Right now you might be thinking, "wait, you've seen more than one pregnant ape statue?" and my answer would be "what happens in a fjord, stays in a fjord." So there.


A Norwegian Fjord!


Same fjord, different view.


Different fjord.


This is the perch where I call the production shows. It is stage right about 20' off the ground. Allowing me a view of absolutely nothing. Hences the gagillion TV monitors I am observing throughout the performances so I can take my cues off of onstage action.


Geiranger, Norway.


The famous waterfall of Geiranger, Norway. It's hard to tell in the picture but it is absolutely HUGE and runs right through the middle of everything.


Another shot of beautiful Geiranger.


Me in front of the Geiranger waterfall. This picture was shot from deck 10 aft. I had dinner out here the other day on a sea day so no land was in sight. It was a very surreal and awesome experience. And to think I can do that everyday. Very very cool.


My temporary cabin. This shot was taken standing in the entryway. I stayed on deck 5 forward until Erin moved out of her cabin. At which time I moved into 2315!


A shot from the bed looking toward the doorway.


An aerial view of my bathroom layout. The fact that I can take an aerial view should clue you in on how small it is. But at the end of the day it is very functional and I make a HUGE mess when I decide to shave my legs.

Time for some PICTURES!

The brilliantly colored hallway of my airport hotel in Oslo, Norway. Where I was only supposed to spend one evening. But ended up spending two (with a brief visit to Molde, Norway inbetween).



Apparently my office computer freezes every time I try to rotate a picture, so you will have to forgive me for the sideways vertical shots. But this is the shoe polisher!



The sign that made me chuckle.



The ironing station - supercute!



This is my hotel room in Amsterdam. With the lovely bed I got to share with my lovely obese Filipino bedmate - who, by the way, sounded like a warthog gargling a slurpee through a mouthful of marbles.



And this is how I felt about that entire situation.



My first glimpse of my new home.



My second glimpse of my new home.



My first sailaway from Amsterdam.



Another sailaway glimpse.

>

Aft, Forward, Starboard, Port! AHOY!

Well, let me just start by saying I have been a little more than busy lately. Not as busy as I am during Ohio Bike Week, but probably twice as busy as I was with IN THE MOOD.

Let me also start by saying that change is really really good. I am VERY happy with this change in my life. Even though I miss family, friends, and Brian (who deserves his own category of miss-age).

Erin Heare, the girl that I am replacing, will leave early on the 29th, so after that date I will have the computer to myself and will be sure to do a much more extensive post (with lots of pictures) than I am doing right now.

Currently my daily schedule has been something like this:
9:00-12:00 TRAINING (Safety, Human Resources, Policy, Management, etc.)
12:00-13:00 LUNCH
13:00-16:00 TRAINING (On the job, administrative, planning, etc.)
16:00-18:00 BREAK
18:00-24:00 PRODUCTIONS/EVENTS

As you can see... busy busy busy. Sometimes training doesn't start until 10:00 which is incredible. And sometimes the administrative stuff is a little lighter.

Do note the use of military time. Welcome to one change in my life.

My cabin is small. My shower is impossible. To shave I have a special manuever involving both the toilet and the sink. But I get turndown service every day which is nice. I am only in a temporary cabin right now, too. When Erin moves out I will take her cabin which has more space and a much larger bed.

I have already started picking up tagalog (the primary language of the Phillipines). Most of the AV staff (more commonly known as stage crew) is Filipino. I have to stop treating them like UmpaLoompas (sp?) because they are small, cute, and smiley. They are people, too.

Mostly right now I am trying to find any kind of rhythm (yeah, right) and get a bit caught up on sleep. I have certainly been burning the candles at both ends trying to be sociable at night and diligently attending trainings in the morning. I don't want to be friend-less once Erin leaves, and I certainly don't want to get any counseling or warnings for missing training.

The ship is VERY strict with policies and regulations. If you slip up once... on anything... enough for your manager to feel that discipline is necessary, you get a verbal counseling. After a verbal counseling, there are first, second, and third warnings. A third warning results in a masters hearing with the captain, and likely termination. First and second warnings mean that you cannot get promoted, or receive a bonus or a raise for one full year (all warnings expire in a year).

For an example:
You could get a verbal counseling for being out of uniform in a guest area. If an officer sees you in a guest elevator, it would escalte to your first written warning. If you forget to punch out your time card, then you could be issued your second written warning. Then if you are violating safety procedure by wearing flip flops onboard, you could be issued your third warning and terminated. Violations can be in ANY AREA of policy.

I find it nerve wracking that not only could I be disciplined this way, but I have to discipline my cast and team this way if any chronic or serious issues arise. It will certainly have to bring out a different side of me.

I did find out about family/friends on board. I can sign anyone on for a day in almost any port (meaning you could come on and visit while we are at port, but would have to leave before the all aboard call to sail). Once I have completed 6 months of employment (which I will by the end of this contract) there are two options. A guest can come on a cruise and stay in my cabin with me - probably only an option for Brian - at a rate of $10 a day. You get full guest benefits (like free food and non-alcoholic beverages). Anyone else can stay in their own guest stateroom for $40/day. Pretty incredible. So let's hope for everyone's sake that I manage to not mess things up in the next 6 months.

The ship is still in Norway. It is STUNNING here. I have only been able to get off one time - in Flam. It was a cute little town. Outside of that my training schedule has been too demanding to allow for more than meal breaks during the day (we are usually at port from 8am-4pm).

As I get more of a flow for my job, I have no fear that I will be getting off of the ship with more regularity. Though, you have to be careful, because ports of call is where you will spend all of your money. Well, ports and the bars on the ship. Though at the crew bar a beer is only 90 cents. Not too shabby.

And yes. I do lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. I would guess next to 40 flights a day. It's rough stuff if you want to dine in the guest buffet (deck 10) and you are on the crew deck (deck 1).

More information and pictures to come. Your patience is greatly appreciated (that's the saying of my life as all of my coworkers accept the fact that I have NO IDEA what's going on some of the time).

Ciao!

Psst... I'm on a ship...

I MADE IT! FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!

I am sitting at what will officially be my office starting July 29th (that's the day Erin, the current PM signs off the ship). She is awesome by the way. I wish we could work together because I'm fairly sure we would get along amazingly.

I am officially on the Constellation at port in Amsterdam. The ship will be leaving port in about 20 minutes :D which is why I have a moment of privacy to write because everyone else is involved in the passenger mustering drill.

ANYWAY... a few quick highlights so far
- last night I not only shared a room but shared a BED with a stranger. UNCOOL.
- during the flight yesterday in the sea between Denmark and Amsterdam I saw a windfarm in the middle of the ocean. It was 7x13, so 91 turbines total. AWESOME!
- I had to wake up at 5 am this morning (after finally falling asleep around 130am last night). Our shuttle was at 6:15am. ouch.
- Pretty sure I'm running entirely on adrenaline at the moment.
- The theater is very aesthetically beautiful but technically it is not that impressive.
- I think the people here are going to be excellent to work with.
- The cabin I am in is temporary and I will move into Erin's cabin starting on the 29th.
- My scheduled leave date is March 10th (I'm slipping this in the middle hoping no one will notice that it got extended).
- I am not allowed to wear my hair down.
- I'm getting a stress pimple.
- I will have to call shows I have never seen before.

I will be sure to write more later. I have pictures to upload - nothing amazing, but pictures to break up my boring words would help my massive fan base.

I love you all! I'm off to ... checks schedule ... Stavanger, Norway!

You have GOT to be KIDDING me

Safely in Amsterdam. Woohoo.
Safely got shuttled to my hotel. Woohoo.

Found out I am sharing not just a room but a BED with a complete stranger. Older larger Phillipino lady... unwoohoo.

Found out the shuttle to the boat is at 6:15 am and we will wait until 10am to board. Please just kill me.

But the upside is that they provide the first twenty euro for our breakfast... which is served at 7am. Wait... what...? I will have left 45 minutes earlier?!?