October 22, 2012: Philipsburg, Sainte Maarten
We had a fire drill this morning. Luckily, I’d known about it so was ready when the alarm went off. I was supposed to hear from some people about going to the beach, but they never called me after the drill, so Edison called and we got off together. We met Brandi right off the ship and all bought sunscreen and took the water taxi to the beach. We were walking along, shops on one side, sand and water on the other, when we finally saw someone we knew. Daniel was sitting on the beach so we joined him and all went swimming for a while before laying out in the sun.
Daniel had to leave after a while because he had to get ready for work again, and Mack and Kayley joined us on the beach. We stayed out there for a while longer, drying off from our many trips to swim. Then, we walked around for a while, looking for somewjhere to eat lunch. After stopping at a few places, we finally decided on one and sat down. It was about an hour until our food arrived, so we spent that time on the internet (our last guaranteed time on the internet until we reach Europe). I got Hawaiian pizza, Kayley got a quesadilla, Brandi and Edison got jerk chicken and Mack got a BBQ sandwich. We sat there for a while eating and just enjoying each others company, by the time everyone finished, Brandi and I were ready to get back on the beach, so we left the rest of the group, crossed the street and set up camp before jumping in the water. We spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between beach and water. I read some Le Fantome de L’Opera while the others slept.
We decided to head back just after 3:30 since all aboard was at 4:30 and we were walking back. It was a pretty walk; we saw chickens in the boatyard and some goats on the hill and heard lots and lots of birds.
When we got back, I quickly showered, got ready and went upstairs to get some last minute pictures of the area as we sailed away. Then, I realized that the sun was going to set soon, so I went to the very back of the ship with my camera and watched as it set over the water, right by the island we’d been at all day.
I dropped my camera off before going to dinner. I spent a lot of time at dinner since I didn’t have to work tonight. I made plans to meet Glenn for the show (Livewire, the couple that puts a Celtic twist on music and plays some Irish stuff as well), then went to work out for a while.
I went to the show, managed not to find Glenn until the very end. Turns out that while I had gone up early to the Ocean Bar where he was, he’d come down to B deck to find me. He did make it for the last song though. After the show, I borrowed the first Harry Potter DVD from J, one of the cast members (he used to work at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, he was one of the conductors on opening day even!), and watched it until it was time to do hours and go to sleep.
October 23, 2012: Sea Day 1
I didn’t really sleep in late this morning for once. I got up and went to breakfast before coming back to the room to watch the rest of Harry Potter. Despite feeling awake at breakfast, as soon as I started to watch the movie, I started falling asleep. So, I ended up taking a nap until lunch. I started eating lunch alone, then Rik came to join me, and Jo the lifestylist. We sat and talked for a while, Edison came and joined us, then the other two left and Janet (another photographer) came. We actually stayed at the table chatting until two when we changed the clocks an hour forward. It’s kind of nice that they do that during the day because it makes the long sea day slightly shorter, and it doesn’t cut time from our sleep schedule!
I changed the time and talked to Cass for a bit in the room before I had to head up to Bingo. It’s pretty fun to work with this DJ; he includes everyone around in his small talk to the guests as we sell the cards. He’s very energetic and generally happy. After we finished selling cards, I started to leave, then got caught up talking to Bea and Daniel as they waited to hand out flyers. Since they didn’t have many appointments in the spa, their job for the afternoon was to go to all the events and hand out flyers as they ended. I sat with them until Bingo ended.
Finally, I finished Harry Potter before dinner and work. The kids came up about 20 minutes after I opened Club HAL. The girls colored and prepared for a show they wanted to perform for the rest of us. The boy played video games and I helped him out. Time was almost up when the girls finally were ready to put on their show for us. The four-year-olds parents were there by that point to pick her up. They let her perform for a little bit before reminding her that it was long past her bedtime. The siblings stayed until nearly 10 when their dad came in a rush to get them to the show. I managed to lock up Club HAL, go to my room and change and made it to the show just as they were starting!
It’s going to be an early night for me, just as soon as I can put in my hours I’m going to get some sleep. (We have from midnight to noon to put hours in for the day before, I usually do it at midnight just to make sure I don’t forget in the morning.)
October 24, 2012: Sea Day 2
Cabin inspection this morning meant that I was out of my room by 9 for breakfast. I stayed at breakfast for over an hour! It was wonderful and I felt full afterwards! Edison, Glenn and Rik joined me and we just relaxed and enjoyed the time not working.
After breakfast, I went down to the room and talked to Cass and read until it was time for lunch. I had lunch with the DJ. Brian came after a while, then they both left (I had gone early to make sure I had enough time to get food since lunch on sea days are typically packed and it takes a long time to get food and a table; today however, not many people were in line). Then the Travel Guide Brett and the techspert Trevor came and sat with me. I hadn’t officially met either of them yet, so it was interesting to talk to them. I was alone in Club HAL for the first hour, but then the 4year old came up. She colored and cut out pictures for me to put up on the wall. The boy came up for a little bit while the girl did schoolwork, then they switched. The two girls decided to practice for another show so I helped them decorate and make invitations and let them practice. Brian came to take over for me as I went to Bingo so I didn’t get to see their show.
Bingo went smoothly, I think I’m getting faster at doing the math, or else it’s taking longer for anyone to call Bingo. After that, I sat in the room until dinner. Cass had rehearsal so I read some. My head started hurting; I was considering ordering room service until Cass came back and was going to dinner, so I went with her. I was feeling a little better directly after dinner, but as I waited on time to change for the show, the headache came back with a vengeance. I ended up going to sleep by 9:30.
October 25, 2012: Sea day 3
I worked morning shift today. I got there at exactly 9 and stuck up the sign saying I was in the Lido, then went to breakfast. I knew that the siblings never come in the morning, and the girl probably wouldn’t get there until after ten so I had a long breakfast. I went upstairs and studied Italian for a bit until the girl came. Before she came though, the fire alarm went off. There was an actual fire this time, in the guest laundry room; it was small though so they just made announcements letting everyone know what was going on. I had to call in for my duty because I was working. Anyway, the girl has colored every coloring sheet we have already, so I suggested that we actually draw stuff today instead. She was very happy about that, she drew Tinkerbell, a rainbow (after seeing mine), and a water park. I was busy drawing the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Coliseum, a pyramid and the beach. The time went by pretty quickly.
I came down to the room for a bit before heading up for lunch since I didn’t have anything to do until 3:45 Bingo. When I went up to lunch today, there were long lines everywhere, and all the tables were taken. I did manage to find two seats and sat to eat, Kayley found me and sat with me during the break between their sets. We got ice cream together and when we went outside (for their next set of music) there were tables open by the pool, so I sat and listened to the HAL Cats until the time change (another hour forward!).
After Bingo, I went through some of my pictures, deciding which ones are best. I went to dinner and then work. The girl didn’t come in until about 15 minutes after I got there. We played with blocks until the other kids came and the girls practiced for their show while the boy played video games. Basically the girls practiced and the boy played video games all night.
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