January 11, 2013
Last night went rather oddly. The two boys that normally come at night were there, but they unexpectedly finished every single activity extremely quickly. Usually it takes about 30 minutes to finish the first coloring activity, so I started a little early so we could do everything. We finished everything I’d had planned for camp night within an hour. I would’ve read more stories in our “tent” but my voice was giving out, so I ended up letting them play hide and seek in the room until their parents came. They seemed happy at least and that’s what matters. I came straight to my room to bed but had weird dreams all night about the kids coming back in and wanting to go on a ‘bear hunt’ around the ship. Somehow Club HAL was in my room and I was trying to sleep while they were all leaving and coming and pulling me up to go on this scavenger hunt. I think I might’ve slept too much yesterday afternoon and that was the reason my body was protesting sleep so much at night.
This morning I didn’t have to work, so I got up and went to breakfast leisurely. I was going to sit alone, but some of the cast members I’d not yet talked to asked me to join them. It was an interesting breakfast to say the least. After that, I decided to kill some time by starting to pack (24 hours in advance, so early!) until lunchtime. I can tell I’m ready to go home because I’m actually packed already except for charging items and stuff I’ll need in the morning. I had lunch then went up to Club HAL for the afternoon shift. Two of the little kids came and that was it. I managed to get them to play Just Dance for about an hour and a half before they got tired of it. After that, I also managed to convince them to write letters to the Captain (an activity that was on the schedule) which took up another chunk of time. Then they wanted to play air hockey. So, we took turns playing and I had to spend most of the time making sure they didn’t crawl on the table, brag too much about winning, be mean about losing and such. I was kind of glad when one of them left because then I could just play myself and ignore all the insulting comments that came every time I scored (the 7-year-old girl is somewhat mentally handicapped, so it’s been stressful dealing with her all week). Her dad finally picked her up and I cleaned up Club HAL and came back to the room to rearrange some of the stuff in my suitcase. Now I just have one more session (pajama night/movie night!) until I can pack up my uniform as well!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
annnddd another sea day
January 10, 2013
So, I went to the infirmary yesterday and the crew doctor gave me medicine for my sinuses and antihistamine, then she told me to come back at 3:30 so we could flush out my ears so she could find out what’s wrong with them. I went back to bed until lunchtime. I had lunch alone and then walked around on the outside deck for a bit to get some air. I went back to my room and slept for an hour before deciding to get off the ship for a bit in San Juan. I didn’t really know what to do and I was worried about being back on time for my appointment so I just walked around near the port for about 30 minutes. I wish I had felt better so I could’ve taken pictures and walked around more this time.
After the crew doctor flushed out my ears she gave me some drops to put in a few times a day. I immediately went back to bed and slept until dinnertime. I looked better tonight at least, Seth told me that the other day he wanted to cry every time he looked at me because I looked like I was in so much pain. But, last night was better. I went up to work and Anna again just said to get some rest, she wants to make sure I’m really better. So, I went to my room and watched TV and read until I felt tired enough to sleep.
This morning, I worked the morning shift, so I attempted to eat a good breakfast, yet my pancakes didn’t really seem that appetizing after they were on the plate so I ended up just having yogurt again. I was alone in Club HAL for an hour and a half until one of the little girls came in. Since she was the only one there, I asked what she wanted to do. So, we ended up watching an hour of the Wizard of Oz. Thirty minutes later, a tween boy came in and registered. He didn’t really want to watch the movie, so I played foosball with him until it was time to go.
I had lunch before coming down to the room and taking a nap, then watched Return of the King. Still, the afternoon is dragging. I work tonight, then only two more sessions to go until I come home! I work afternoon and evening tomorrow. I’m definitely ready this time to come home, if just to sleep in my own bed and eat in my pajamas and have Mom help me feel better (I’m not sure the crew doc really knows what’s wrong with me).
So, I went to the infirmary yesterday and the crew doctor gave me medicine for my sinuses and antihistamine, then she told me to come back at 3:30 so we could flush out my ears so she could find out what’s wrong with them. I went back to bed until lunchtime. I had lunch alone and then walked around on the outside deck for a bit to get some air. I went back to my room and slept for an hour before deciding to get off the ship for a bit in San Juan. I didn’t really know what to do and I was worried about being back on time for my appointment so I just walked around near the port for about 30 minutes. I wish I had felt better so I could’ve taken pictures and walked around more this time.
After the crew doctor flushed out my ears she gave me some drops to put in a few times a day. I immediately went back to bed and slept until dinnertime. I looked better tonight at least, Seth told me that the other day he wanted to cry every time he looked at me because I looked like I was in so much pain. But, last night was better. I went up to work and Anna again just said to get some rest, she wants to make sure I’m really better. So, I went to my room and watched TV and read until I felt tired enough to sleep.
This morning, I worked the morning shift, so I attempted to eat a good breakfast, yet my pancakes didn’t really seem that appetizing after they were on the plate so I ended up just having yogurt again. I was alone in Club HAL for an hour and a half until one of the little girls came in. Since she was the only one there, I asked what she wanted to do. So, we ended up watching an hour of the Wizard of Oz. Thirty minutes later, a tween boy came in and registered. He didn’t really want to watch the movie, so I played foosball with him until it was time to go.
I had lunch before coming down to the room and taking a nap, then watched Return of the King. Still, the afternoon is dragging. I work tonight, then only two more sessions to go until I come home! I work afternoon and evening tomorrow. I’m definitely ready this time to come home, if just to sleep in my own bed and eat in my pajamas and have Mom help me feel better (I’m not sure the crew doc really knows what’s wrong with me).
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Grand Turk
January 8, 2013: Grand Turk
I must look really dreadful today because people have been asking me all day what’s wrong and how I’m feeling. I had port day duty this morning so had to be in Club HAL at 8. I ran by the Lido first and grabbed a yogurt and milk to have up there since I wasn’t going to get a real breakfast. I ended up falling asleep a few times on the couch and before I knew it, it was 10:30 and they were making announcements for raft drills. Mine wasn’t one of them, only because a few days ago they gave me a new life jacket card changing my raft number and emergency function. I’m on the Club HAL evacuation Team for fire drills and I’m the Club HAL Evacuation Team Leader for general emergencies. Basically, they just put a title to what I’d be doing anyway for fire drills and made me a ‘leader’ for our normal duties in general emergencies. Anyway, that woke me up for good, so I got out some of the puzzles in Club HAL and worked on those until Triston showed up. He’d already had lunch, so I had lunch alone and went down to the room to change and head off-ship. Even though I was feeling kind of bad, I had to get off the ship for some amount of time! I should’ve realized that it was a beach port and worn my swimsuit, but I ended up walking along the water with my jeans rolled up to my knees. I wasn’t hot though so it was fine. Next time I know: Grand Turk=excursions, pool/beach and shopping; there’s no ‘town’ to walk around in.
I got back on the ship early because I started feeling worse again, so I took a nap, intending to go to the infirmary when it opened, but despite setting an alarm, I missed my hour window to go and woke up in time to go to dinner.
Quite a few people at dinner asked me what was wrong. Apparently I look like I feel. Linda even suggested I call the infirmary’s after-hours emergency number, Triston told me to talk to Anna and get to bed early tonight, and Seth the DJ told me to walk around outside for a bit to get some fresh air before going to sleep. I’m glad they care but I wish it wasn’t as obvious that I’m sickly.
I went up to Club HAL and one of the boys arrived right at 7, we hung out for a little bit, then started coloring one of the pirate pictures (it takes him a really long time to color because he’ll put down the marker and talk for a while every few minutes). The other boy came and I decided to let them decorate their pirate hats for the treasure hunt, which Anna told me she’d help with since it’s better with two counselors and I hadn’t don’t it before. So, the four of us set off following the clues leading us all around the ship, being sneaky pirates, saluting officers, climbing the mast, etc. Finally, we ended up back in Club HAL where we found the treasure chest. They each got to pick something out of the chest: magnets, erasers, bottle cozies, rings, and keychains. After that, Anna said I should go get some rest, she’d take over both groups in the morning so I could sleep more and go to the infirmary. So, I don’t have to be at work until tomorrow night now. Weird. The ship is rocking more than it has since I’ve been here and one of my ears hurts (that started last night) so my equilibrium is off; it’s going to be interesting trying to sleep.
I must look really dreadful today because people have been asking me all day what’s wrong and how I’m feeling. I had port day duty this morning so had to be in Club HAL at 8. I ran by the Lido first and grabbed a yogurt and milk to have up there since I wasn’t going to get a real breakfast. I ended up falling asleep a few times on the couch and before I knew it, it was 10:30 and they were making announcements for raft drills. Mine wasn’t one of them, only because a few days ago they gave me a new life jacket card changing my raft number and emergency function. I’m on the Club HAL evacuation Team for fire drills and I’m the Club HAL Evacuation Team Leader for general emergencies. Basically, they just put a title to what I’d be doing anyway for fire drills and made me a ‘leader’ for our normal duties in general emergencies. Anyway, that woke me up for good, so I got out some of the puzzles in Club HAL and worked on those until Triston showed up. He’d already had lunch, so I had lunch alone and went down to the room to change and head off-ship. Even though I was feeling kind of bad, I had to get off the ship for some amount of time! I should’ve realized that it was a beach port and worn my swimsuit, but I ended up walking along the water with my jeans rolled up to my knees. I wasn’t hot though so it was fine. Next time I know: Grand Turk=excursions, pool/beach and shopping; there’s no ‘town’ to walk around in.
I got back on the ship early because I started feeling worse again, so I took a nap, intending to go to the infirmary when it opened, but despite setting an alarm, I missed my hour window to go and woke up in time to go to dinner.
Quite a few people at dinner asked me what was wrong. Apparently I look like I feel. Linda even suggested I call the infirmary’s after-hours emergency number, Triston told me to talk to Anna and get to bed early tonight, and Seth the DJ told me to walk around outside for a bit to get some fresh air before going to sleep. I’m glad they care but I wish it wasn’t as obvious that I’m sickly.
I went up to Club HAL and one of the boys arrived right at 7, we hung out for a little bit, then started coloring one of the pirate pictures (it takes him a really long time to color because he’ll put down the marker and talk for a while every few minutes). The other boy came and I decided to let them decorate their pirate hats for the treasure hunt, which Anna told me she’d help with since it’s better with two counselors and I hadn’t don’t it before. So, the four of us set off following the clues leading us all around the ship, being sneaky pirates, saluting officers, climbing the mast, etc. Finally, we ended up back in Club HAL where we found the treasure chest. They each got to pick something out of the chest: magnets, erasers, bottle cozies, rings, and keychains. After that, Anna said I should go get some rest, she’d take over both groups in the morning so I could sleep more and go to the infirmary. So, I don’t have to be at work until tomorrow night now. Weird. The ship is rocking more than it has since I’ve been here and one of my ears hurts (that started last night) so my equilibrium is off; it’s going to be interesting trying to sleep.
another sea day
January 7, 2013: Sea day
Anna switched the schedule around a bit, so I got to sleep in this morning instead of having to work. It was odd sleeping so late, but I feel like I need more sleep right now so I’m okay with that. I went up for lunch and sat with some of the new HAL Cats members until I had to get to work. At first it was just two of the littles that showed up, then it was almost movie time and two of the tweens showed up. I attempted to start the movie on time, but the plug for the xbox was missing so we had to take a field trip to the Loft so I could get Triston to help me. He found a plug for the adapter and I got it plugged in and started the movie. It was a quiet afternoon, I think one of the tweens actually fell asleep on the couch during the movie. The lights were off, the window blind/doors were shut and all that was happening was the movie.
I had to stay kind of late because one of the parents came late, but I went back to the room and slept until dinner, still hoping that I might feel a lot better if I just sleep enough. No luck with that. I went up for dinner and sat with some of the shore excursion people (they didn’t really talk to me), Triston, and the techspert and travel guide (the last two didn’t really talk to me either). The crew here definitely aren’t as friendly or mixing (with other departments or even within a department). I’m really only friends with Linda, the light tech, Triston and Seth, the DJ. I don’t see many of them often though because I’ve been attempting to feel better and they all have different schedules than me.
Anyway, I went up to Club HAL early to look through the Safari night activity idea list and ended up reading kids books after making a list of stuff I could do tonight. Two of my kids showed up, two boys that are usually there and are best friends. It was a pretty easy night. They followed directions and we actually managed not to finish the list of activities I’d planned. Although, one of them left at 9 so it was just two of us, not good for certain games like four corners, relay races and charades. The two of us just ended up sitting in the bucket and reading storybooks, during which he fell asleep so I ended up reading them quietly to myself until his family came to get him- it’s very difficult to wake him up, his sister picked him up and nearly dropped him (I made sure his feet were one the ground at least) and he still wasn’t awake. Did I ever sleep that heavily?
After all the kids left and I cleaned up, I went to see how Triston was doing (he’s been bored a bit since the teens aren’t always consistent about coming up so he’s alone in the Loft). There were a few teens there and they had just turned on “The Goonies.” I’d never seen it before and a lot of people told me I should, so I stuck around to watch it. With about 15 minutes left, the DVD quit working, and it was 12 anyway so we didn’t finish the movie. I helped Triston clean up and decided to call it a night since I’m working port day morning tomorrow. Somehow I doubt many kids will show up- perhaps the 7-year-old, but I think most parents and kids like to stay together most of the time.
Anna switched the schedule around a bit, so I got to sleep in this morning instead of having to work. It was odd sleeping so late, but I feel like I need more sleep right now so I’m okay with that. I went up for lunch and sat with some of the new HAL Cats members until I had to get to work. At first it was just two of the littles that showed up, then it was almost movie time and two of the tweens showed up. I attempted to start the movie on time, but the plug for the xbox was missing so we had to take a field trip to the Loft so I could get Triston to help me. He found a plug for the adapter and I got it plugged in and started the movie. It was a quiet afternoon, I think one of the tweens actually fell asleep on the couch during the movie. The lights were off, the window blind/doors were shut and all that was happening was the movie.
I had to stay kind of late because one of the parents came late, but I went back to the room and slept until dinner, still hoping that I might feel a lot better if I just sleep enough. No luck with that. I went up for dinner and sat with some of the shore excursion people (they didn’t really talk to me), Triston, and the techspert and travel guide (the last two didn’t really talk to me either). The crew here definitely aren’t as friendly or mixing (with other departments or even within a department). I’m really only friends with Linda, the light tech, Triston and Seth, the DJ. I don’t see many of them often though because I’ve been attempting to feel better and they all have different schedules than me.
Anyway, I went up to Club HAL early to look through the Safari night activity idea list and ended up reading kids books after making a list of stuff I could do tonight. Two of my kids showed up, two boys that are usually there and are best friends. It was a pretty easy night. They followed directions and we actually managed not to finish the list of activities I’d planned. Although, one of them left at 9 so it was just two of us, not good for certain games like four corners, relay races and charades. The two of us just ended up sitting in the bucket and reading storybooks, during which he fell asleep so I ended up reading them quietly to myself until his family came to get him- it’s very difficult to wake him up, his sister picked him up and nearly dropped him (I made sure his feet were one the ground at least) and he still wasn’t awake. Did I ever sleep that heavily?
After all the kids left and I cleaned up, I went to see how Triston was doing (he’s been bored a bit since the teens aren’t always consistent about coming up so he’s alone in the Loft). There were a few teens there and they had just turned on “The Goonies.” I’d never seen it before and a lot of people told me I should, so I stuck around to watch it. With about 15 minutes left, the DVD quit working, and it was 12 anyway so we didn’t finish the movie. I helped Triston clean up and decided to call it a night since I’m working port day morning tomorrow. Somehow I doubt many kids will show up- perhaps the 7-year-old, but I think most parents and kids like to stay together most of the time.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
sea day evening. Am I homesick or just sick?
January 6, 2013
I think I’m really homesick for the first time. It might be because I’m kind of sick and now have no voice. But whichever it is, I still want Mom to be here to help me get better. Not having a voice and trying to get some hyper 3-7 year olds to do the scheduled activities is definitely not good. I had hardly any luck after the third kid got to Club HAL tonight. The first two that got there were great, when I kind of hoarsely whispered that I couldn’t really talk, they paid attention to me as we played a game in free time, and they were very quiet (apparently losing your voice means you have more sensitive hearing as well, who knew?). When the 7-year-old arrived though things took a turn for the worse. I had to keep trying to talk loudly to get them to stop climbing on the bucket, to actually focus on an activity, to sit down and do anything at all rather than run around the room.
Anna came in at one point and was going through the cabinets, which didn’t help me feel at all in control of the room. As I was getting supplies from a cabinet, one of the kids jumped up on the bucket to climb and she told him to get down, then told me off for letting him climb. The boy ended up hiding under one of the tables crying for about 15 minutes before I managed to coax him out and make an alien headband with the rest of us. I kind of wanted to join him and hide for a minute as well to be honest. The night went somewhat smoothly after that. I really think I still need to be trained in working with the little ones. I’ve worked with them at camps yes, but that was pretty much babysitting and letting them play with whatever they want; here, there’s a schedule to try to keep to and I’m not sure how to get the kids wanting to do, well, ANYTHING, on the schedule. Every time I ask or say we’re going to do something, they all suggest 20 other things to do instead; none of them want to do the activity no matter how hard I try to make it seem fun. It was a long night trying to keep any of them focused on alien night which Anna made sure to tell me to center everything around. Instead they wanted a “wizard of oz” night, a “monsters” night, a ‘zombie’ night and a variety of other themes.
I went to the OB to meet Linda, the light tech (I actually met her on the Oosterdam and became friends with her here) but she wasn’t there, so I grabbed a Sprite and came back to the room to sleep. Anna rearranged the schedule for tomorrow. We’re combining the ages and I’m working afternoon shift instead of both; it’ll be pretty easy since 2-4 is scheduled as movie time! I want to go to breakfast, but I’m not entirely sure if I’ll make it if I don’t have to be at work until 1. Although, with this charter, they’ve been told to leave breakfast stuff (yogurt, cereal, milk) out through lunch, so I’m happy about that!
I think I’m really homesick for the first time. It might be because I’m kind of sick and now have no voice. But whichever it is, I still want Mom to be here to help me get better. Not having a voice and trying to get some hyper 3-7 year olds to do the scheduled activities is definitely not good. I had hardly any luck after the third kid got to Club HAL tonight. The first two that got there were great, when I kind of hoarsely whispered that I couldn’t really talk, they paid attention to me as we played a game in free time, and they were very quiet (apparently losing your voice means you have more sensitive hearing as well, who knew?). When the 7-year-old arrived though things took a turn for the worse. I had to keep trying to talk loudly to get them to stop climbing on the bucket, to actually focus on an activity, to sit down and do anything at all rather than run around the room.
Anna came in at one point and was going through the cabinets, which didn’t help me feel at all in control of the room. As I was getting supplies from a cabinet, one of the kids jumped up on the bucket to climb and she told him to get down, then told me off for letting him climb. The boy ended up hiding under one of the tables crying for about 15 minutes before I managed to coax him out and make an alien headband with the rest of us. I kind of wanted to join him and hide for a minute as well to be honest. The night went somewhat smoothly after that. I really think I still need to be trained in working with the little ones. I’ve worked with them at camps yes, but that was pretty much babysitting and letting them play with whatever they want; here, there’s a schedule to try to keep to and I’m not sure how to get the kids wanting to do, well, ANYTHING, on the schedule. Every time I ask or say we’re going to do something, they all suggest 20 other things to do instead; none of them want to do the activity no matter how hard I try to make it seem fun. It was a long night trying to keep any of them focused on alien night which Anna made sure to tell me to center everything around. Instead they wanted a “wizard of oz” night, a “monsters” night, a ‘zombie’ night and a variety of other themes.
I went to the OB to meet Linda, the light tech (I actually met her on the Oosterdam and became friends with her here) but she wasn’t there, so I grabbed a Sprite and came back to the room to sleep. Anna rearranged the schedule for tomorrow. We’re combining the ages and I’m working afternoon shift instead of both; it’ll be pretty easy since 2-4 is scheduled as movie time! I want to go to breakfast, but I’m not entirely sure if I’ll make it if I don’t have to be at work until 1. Although, with this charter, they’ve been told to leave breakfast stuff (yogurt, cereal, milk) out through lunch, so I’m happy about that!
sea day #1 of the week
January 6, 2013: Sea Day
This morning I had breakfast alone. It’s weird with all the other Club HAL people gone because they all used to go to breakfast; now it’s just Triston and me and since Triston’s working with the teens, he can sleep in and go to breakfast late. I worked some on a drawing I started yesterday until one kid finally came. She was the only one there all morning. She’s a really sweet kid, quiet on her own so we generally followed the schedule as much as we could since you can’t play some games with just two people, we did lots of coloring though.
I sat with one of the photographers at lunch and talked about lots of stuff with her: England, cruise life, meeting people on the ship, photography, etc. Work this afternoon was extremely busy. Five kids were there most of the afternoon. They fed off of each other and went wild. I kept having to run after them to make sure they didn’t climb on the bucket, jump off tables, go behind the curtain on the stage and get into the supplies, hit each other, scream, spray glitter glue everywhere, etc.
One at least was good, he’s a three-year-old, very laid back and quiet but knows what he wants to do. I did almost lose control of the other four, but when the 3-year-old and I started to do something interesting, they joined in and the room quieted down considerably and I felt like I could actually continue with this group this week. After a while, two got bored so I had to call parents to come get them, another’s parents came to take him to a show and another 3-year-old girl came in. She came by last night but was nervous about staying so since there were only two others I let her mom stay the last 15 minutes as we did a craft with glitter glue. She was one happy 3-year-old getting to put foamy sea creatures on paper with glitter glue! They all left right at 4. I went to go see how Triston was doing with the teens. I stayed to talk to him for a bit and hang out with the one teen that was there before coming back to my room since my nose had started running.
This morning I had breakfast alone. It’s weird with all the other Club HAL people gone because they all used to go to breakfast; now it’s just Triston and me and since Triston’s working with the teens, he can sleep in and go to breakfast late. I worked some on a drawing I started yesterday until one kid finally came. She was the only one there all morning. She’s a really sweet kid, quiet on her own so we generally followed the schedule as much as we could since you can’t play some games with just two people, we did lots of coloring though.
I sat with one of the photographers at lunch and talked about lots of stuff with her: England, cruise life, meeting people on the ship, photography, etc. Work this afternoon was extremely busy. Five kids were there most of the afternoon. They fed off of each other and went wild. I kept having to run after them to make sure they didn’t climb on the bucket, jump off tables, go behind the curtain on the stage and get into the supplies, hit each other, scream, spray glitter glue everywhere, etc.
One at least was good, he’s a three-year-old, very laid back and quiet but knows what he wants to do. I did almost lose control of the other four, but when the 3-year-old and I started to do something interesting, they joined in and the room quieted down considerably and I felt like I could actually continue with this group this week. After a while, two got bored so I had to call parents to come get them, another’s parents came to take him to a show and another 3-year-old girl came in. She came by last night but was nervous about staying so since there were only two others I let her mom stay the last 15 minutes as we did a craft with glitter glue. She was one happy 3-year-old getting to put foamy sea creatures on paper with glitter glue! They all left right at 4. I went to go see how Triston was doing with the teens. I stayed to talk to him for a bit and hang out with the one teen that was there before coming back to my room since my nose had started running.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
another home port day
January 5, 2013: Ft Lauderdale
Last night was pajama night in Club HAL. We had the usual free hour, then watched Tangled. Some of the kids didn’t want to leave, but others left without saying bye. I’m not sure they all really realized that they weren’t coming up to Club HAL in the morning. I intended to go to the OB with the others not long after we all got off work, but I fell asleep reading and didn’t wake up until around 3am. I didn’t realize that I was that tired!
I had immigration this morning since I embarked last Fort Lauderdale. I was supposed to be in the crew mess at 10:30, so that’s when I got there. I hung out for a bit with the Club HAL people that are leaving (5 of them), then someone told us that they were running behind in immigration, so we had to wait. Club HAL played Jenga for an hour and a half. Finally, they let us go out and we said our goodbyes. I changed and had lunch with Seth, the DJ before going back to the crew mess to use my phone until I had to be at open house. Two kids came to open house while I was there, so Anna let me leave early. Good thing too since I had a coughing attack as I walked out the door so had to run to the bathroom to grab some tissues (my eyes were watering), then to the Lido to get something to drink.
After that, I went downstairs and read until dinner. It was a relatively short dinner since it was very crowded in the Lido and it took 10 minutes to get food, add that to the fact that I was 15 minutes later than normal getting to dinner and I didn’t have a whole lot of time to eat!
Working with the kids was very different than working with the tweens. One kid came right at 7 and we were alone until 8; two others came soon after and that helped a lot because they could play together. There were two boys and a girl. The girl had me read her a story (in my scratchy voice, that was interesting) while the boys kind of played tag. Snacktime at least let me have some certain thing to do for the night so I enjoyed it. The first boy left right after snack, and the girl left not long after. The other boy and I played Cars 2 Monopoly (designed for kids) until he got tired of it. We were both yawning a lot by that point. I suggested a few things to do next and he decided to color. He colored for about a minute before closing the marker and laying his head on the table. He was sound asleep before I knew it. I tried to wake him up to move him to “the bucket” (the room is based on coloring/painting and there’s a ‘bucket of paint’ in the middle of the room with some cushions in it) with no success. Luckily, his dad came ten minutes later and carried him to bed.
Last night was pajama night in Club HAL. We had the usual free hour, then watched Tangled. Some of the kids didn’t want to leave, but others left without saying bye. I’m not sure they all really realized that they weren’t coming up to Club HAL in the morning. I intended to go to the OB with the others not long after we all got off work, but I fell asleep reading and didn’t wake up until around 3am. I didn’t realize that I was that tired!
I had immigration this morning since I embarked last Fort Lauderdale. I was supposed to be in the crew mess at 10:30, so that’s when I got there. I hung out for a bit with the Club HAL people that are leaving (5 of them), then someone told us that they were running behind in immigration, so we had to wait. Club HAL played Jenga for an hour and a half. Finally, they let us go out and we said our goodbyes. I changed and had lunch with Seth, the DJ before going back to the crew mess to use my phone until I had to be at open house. Two kids came to open house while I was there, so Anna let me leave early. Good thing too since I had a coughing attack as I walked out the door so had to run to the bathroom to grab some tissues (my eyes were watering), then to the Lido to get something to drink.
After that, I went downstairs and read until dinner. It was a relatively short dinner since it was very crowded in the Lido and it took 10 minutes to get food, add that to the fact that I was 15 minutes later than normal getting to dinner and I didn’t have a whole lot of time to eat!
Working with the kids was very different than working with the tweens. One kid came right at 7 and we were alone until 8; two others came soon after and that helped a lot because they could play together. There were two boys and a girl. The girl had me read her a story (in my scratchy voice, that was interesting) while the boys kind of played tag. Snacktime at least let me have some certain thing to do for the night so I enjoyed it. The first boy left right after snack, and the girl left not long after. The other boy and I played Cars 2 Monopoly (designed for kids) until he got tired of it. We were both yawning a lot by that point. I suggested a few things to do next and he decided to color. He colored for about a minute before closing the marker and laying his head on the table. He was sound asleep before I knew it. I tried to wake him up to move him to “the bucket” (the room is based on coloring/painting and there’s a ‘bucket of paint’ in the middle of the room with some cushions in it) with no success. Luckily, his dad came ten minutes later and carried him to bed.
Friday, January 4, 2013
sea day
January 4, 2013: Sea day
I think I’m starting to lose my voice. Last night before dinner my throat started hurting, and dinner didn’t make it feel any better. In Club HAL, it hurt to talk and I gave up trying to make announcements because no one heard me try to get everyone’s attention. Luckily, Laura and Triston are getting at getting attention and I could just get them to tell the group what they needed to know. It was spy night so we did a scavenger hunt, and some observation/listening activities. After we closed, I just went straight to bed because my throat was hurting and I couldn’t talk at all without it hurting more.
This morning, I was feeling a little bit better. I had yogurt and orange juice with breakfast to see if they’d help. The morning wore on it seemed like. The girls made friendship bracelets (after I taught a few who got there early how to do it), and the boys played MarioKart. We had a short lunch and went back up to Club HAL to make a sign for the skit in the talent show, then went down to the Hudson room early so we could set up. There were already kids there, 15 minutes before we were supposed to get there! They were really excited about this talent show. That lasted an hour, then we all went back up to Club HAL where Peter did magic tricks for/with the kids for an hour, then we had a cooking class that lasted about 45 minutes. After that, Club HAL was over for the afternoon. I was kind of glad because it started really hurting when I talked so now I’m resting and possibly going to take a nap until dinner. It’s the last night of this cruise. It’s weird since it’s the first 7-day cruise I’ve had since September! It feels so very short, especially compared to the 42-day trip.
I think I’m starting to lose my voice. Last night before dinner my throat started hurting, and dinner didn’t make it feel any better. In Club HAL, it hurt to talk and I gave up trying to make announcements because no one heard me try to get everyone’s attention. Luckily, Laura and Triston are getting at getting attention and I could just get them to tell the group what they needed to know. It was spy night so we did a scavenger hunt, and some observation/listening activities. After we closed, I just went straight to bed because my throat was hurting and I couldn’t talk at all without it hurting more.
This morning, I was feeling a little bit better. I had yogurt and orange juice with breakfast to see if they’d help. The morning wore on it seemed like. The girls made friendship bracelets (after I taught a few who got there early how to do it), and the boys played MarioKart. We had a short lunch and went back up to Club HAL to make a sign for the skit in the talent show, then went down to the Hudson room early so we could set up. There were already kids there, 15 minutes before we were supposed to get there! They were really excited about this talent show. That lasted an hour, then we all went back up to Club HAL where Peter did magic tricks for/with the kids for an hour, then we had a cooking class that lasted about 45 minutes. After that, Club HAL was over for the afternoon. I was kind of glad because it started really hurting when I talked so now I’m resting and possibly going to take a nap until dinner. It’s the last night of this cruise. It’s weird since it’s the first 7-day cruise I’ve had since September! It feels so very short, especially compared to the 42-day trip.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Mexico
January 3, 2012: Costa Maya, Mexico
Last night our theme was Brave the Night. We had to make up stuff for some of the activities because there weren’t worksheets for some and when they brought the jello for the jello slurp, it was in a big bowl rather than individual bowls with straws. It went well though, it was too windy to go outside and do the egg-drop, but we dropped them from standing on a table in Club HAL. Stop the Boat was a success, I had to make the worksheets since there weren’t any in the packet and no one else really knew what it was.
This morning, I was going to get off the ship early-ish and walk around, but I ended up sleeping in. There was a fire drill at 10:30 and Betsy was assigned to Passenger notification team (my emergency function on the Maasdam) so she had to go to the front office. I stayed in the room reading, but people came by to evacuate everyone in this area from their cabins. That was new, I didn’t know where to go, luckily I wasn’t the only one so I followed the other people. After the drill, I decided to get off the ship for a little bit even though I had to be at work in 45 minutes. Betsy came with me and we walked around the area for a little bit before coming back, me for work, her for lunch and to get her swimsuit. There wasn’t a whole lot in Costa Maya. Mainly tours and beaches, the area right off the ship is just a shopping area with a few swimming pools.
Work this afternoon got pretty busy, when we went to lunch, there were three kids, then three more came during lunch, and in the next hour at least 10 more showed up! We played MarioKart, Just Dance, Uno, air hockey and foosball. It’s good having the air hockey and foosball tables in there for the kids that don’t want to play on the wii. The afternoon went by pretty quickly.
Last night our theme was Brave the Night. We had to make up stuff for some of the activities because there weren’t worksheets for some and when they brought the jello for the jello slurp, it was in a big bowl rather than individual bowls with straws. It went well though, it was too windy to go outside and do the egg-drop, but we dropped them from standing on a table in Club HAL. Stop the Boat was a success, I had to make the worksheets since there weren’t any in the packet and no one else really knew what it was.
This morning, I was going to get off the ship early-ish and walk around, but I ended up sleeping in. There was a fire drill at 10:30 and Betsy was assigned to Passenger notification team (my emergency function on the Maasdam) so she had to go to the front office. I stayed in the room reading, but people came by to evacuate everyone in this area from their cabins. That was new, I didn’t know where to go, luckily I wasn’t the only one so I followed the other people. After the drill, I decided to get off the ship for a little bit even though I had to be at work in 45 minutes. Betsy came with me and we walked around the area for a little bit before coming back, me for work, her for lunch and to get her swimsuit. There wasn’t a whole lot in Costa Maya. Mainly tours and beaches, the area right off the ship is just a shopping area with a few swimming pools.
Work this afternoon got pretty busy, when we went to lunch, there were three kids, then three more came during lunch, and in the next hour at least 10 more showed up! We played MarioKart, Just Dance, Uno, air hockey and foosball. It’s good having the air hockey and foosball tables in there for the kids that don’t want to play on the wii. The afternoon went by pretty quickly.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Honduras!
Jan 2, 2012: Roatan Honduras
Last night was the family dance in the Northern Lights and movie night afterwards. It wasn’t so much of a ‘dance’ as a run-around-hitting-each-other-with-balloons time. There were a lot of kids there and we tried to get them to dance, but it just didn’t happen, they were too entranced by the balloons we had brought.
We went up for movie night with the kids that signed in and settled both groups down with snack to watch the movie. All of the youth staff organized the programs and left at different times to deliver them so we wouldn’t have to after work.
Three kids were signed up for late night, so I volunteered to stay with them. I looked through the movies and found “The Tale of Despereaux” and decided we’d watch that. I helped the two younger kids build a fort with some mats and the chairs/stools in the room, while the tween and I played Uno and watched the movie from the couch. The two young ones left in the middle of the movie so the tween and I finished it, then played MarioKart until her mom came. It was a very easy night.
This morning, I got ready and went to breakfast before we’d even anchored. I was back in my room by the time tendering started and just read until lunch. As I was heading to lunch they made the announcement for open tender. I followed Betsy upstairs and ate lunch with the rest of Club HAL, then we all decided to get off together. We ran downstairs to change, then took the tender to shore where we walked around the shops for a bit before going outside the main area and taking a tour of the whole island. It was really pretty, the driver stopped at a few places and let us get out and take pictures and he told us all about the area and things to do there. Martien and Betsy had to get to work, so we got back to the tender area around three, but then window-shopped for a while before actually getting on the tender.
Now, I’m just hanging out in the room watching Lord of the Rings until dinner and work. Tomorrow is not a tender port (the first and only non-tender port this cruise) so I’m hoping to get up early and go off the ship for a little bit before I work in the afternoon.
Last night was the family dance in the Northern Lights and movie night afterwards. It wasn’t so much of a ‘dance’ as a run-around-hitting-each-other-with-balloons time. There were a lot of kids there and we tried to get them to dance, but it just didn’t happen, they were too entranced by the balloons we had brought.
We went up for movie night with the kids that signed in and settled both groups down with snack to watch the movie. All of the youth staff organized the programs and left at different times to deliver them so we wouldn’t have to after work.
Three kids were signed up for late night, so I volunteered to stay with them. I looked through the movies and found “The Tale of Despereaux” and decided we’d watch that. I helped the two younger kids build a fort with some mats and the chairs/stools in the room, while the tween and I played Uno and watched the movie from the couch. The two young ones left in the middle of the movie so the tween and I finished it, then played MarioKart until her mom came. It was a very easy night.
Now, I’m just hanging out in the room watching Lord of the Rings until dinner and work. Tomorrow is not a tender port (the first and only non-tender port this cruise) so I’m hoping to get up early and go off the ship for a little bit before I work in the afternoon.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year from the Eurodam!
December 31, 2012
It’s been a busy first few days. I don’t think that will ever change for the first few days of being on a new ship. I had to go to the normal meetings, then got a general tour of the ship from my YPC Anna. It’s very much like the Oosterdam so nothing too new there. Then, there was an hour before I had to go to another meeting, so I went back to the room where I met my roommate Betsy. She got on that day too, but is only staying on for a week. We got out of the meeting in time for us to change and head up to Club HAL. All 8 members of Club HAL worked Open House from 12-3. It was really busy, I was finding all the supplies and trying to help register people and give the kids tours of the area, all at the same time!
After Open House was over, the emergency drill started. Betsy and I went to the Entertainment Office to use our phones for a little bit before we left. The cruise director said it was okay, but first we had to go find the list of holiday ducks that had been placed around the ship for last week. Most of them ended up being in locked cabinets, and since the drill was going on there was no one around to get them for us. We ended up only getting one of twelve!
At 4:30 we had to attend the sailaway party. I was not expecting to have to do that again. It’s a very big deal here. All the orange-shirt-wearers (the Explorations Team) have to get up and dance while the band plays, trying to get other people to dance as well. Of course no one came up to dance with us, so it was just 15 or so of us there, a sea of orange. That lasted an hour, and we all went to eat a quick dinner before going to the Entertainment Meeting. It’s a MUCH bigger entertainment department than on the Maasdam, it was kind of weird seeing that many people, and not knowing many of them.
It was a busy first night in Club HAL. I’m with two others, Triston and Laura in the Tweens room. We had about 25 kids come up; the room isn’t really that big, so it started to get a little cramped. This Club HAL has an air hockey table, foosball table, one group of small tables, a couch and rug area and another small table. Some of the kids ended up playing card games or board games at the tables, but there wasn’t enough room for three games at once, so some groups ended up on the floor. I felt like I was tripping over everyone all night long.
I was really tired, so went to bed early, not long after we got off work.
Half Moon Cay day was fun! I had a meeting at 8:30, then a safety drill after. It didn’t last too terribly long, so I got to relax some before I went up for lunch. I ended up sitting with the DJ, he was on the bus with me coming in and is brand new to ships. I hadn’t really decided whether I was going ashore or not, but I decided to go with Seth (the DJ) since then I wouldn’t be alone. We met some of the other Club HAL people ashore and we all just hung out in the sun and swam until it was almost time for the last crew tender.
I came back and ended up napping until dinner. I wasn’t quite impressed with the dinner choices, but after I got some food and kind of lost my appetite for it, I found out that they had burgers in one of the lines.
It was another busy night in Club HAL, but at least we had more of a plan to follow with the theme: Eurodam Olympics. We had them break up into teams and make banners. One group came in kind of later during free time and it turns out that they speak French! They’re very easy-going kids, so it was easy giving them the instructions for the activities. We did some sports activities outside, then came back about 30 minutes before closing and did some other activities in the room.
Once all the kids left, Anna asked us to help deliver the daily programs to the rooms, so we divided up and each took a floor or two, then helped sort the others and deliver them as well (even and odd room numbers). After that, we had to go to the stage and help blow up balloons for the New Years balloon drop. That didn’t take as long as I thought it would, because the entire entertainment department was there to help. Finally we got to go change and head to the OB to hang out.
This morning, I went up for breakfast to discover that all the tweens and kids youth staff were there! It was nice having people to eat breakfast with for a change. We went up to Club HAL for the morning activities. Some of the kids were already up there waiting for us when we got there 10 minutes early! We played games, did some crafts, played air hockey and played more games until our lunch break. We stayed in the Lido our whole break, just chatting. After lunch, the kids were waiting for us again. We did a craft, but then started our card games early since there were quite a few that didn’t want to draw. We ended up playing Spoons for an hour. The kids loved it, most of them hadn’t played it before so we had to teach them, but they caught on very quickly.
There was a bit of craziness during ice cream time since the Lido was packed when we were supposed to go down, so we put it off for a while, but then the ice cream line was long when we did go down, so we had to wait a while before we could get all 30 of the kids ice cream. After that, we attempted to go up to the Sports Deck, but there were a lot of people there as well. We’d missed our slot because of the Lido issues so we just took the kids back inside and played some group games until it was time to go.
Jan 1, 2013
Last night’s theme was Lights Camera Action. I’d only done that theme for an hour before the family dance on the Oosterdam so it was interesting having three hours to fill with it. But, it was also New Years Eve so we kind of combined the two to make one theme night. We had a big “farewell to 2012” banner that we filled with major events from the year, then we had them each make stars for their celebrity persona indicating what they were famous for, and we attached them to the beads we’d given them for New Years. We played Celebrity Heads for a while, but the ‘audience’ of kids kept giving away the answers before the person had a chance to guess so we gave up on that, and had a dance competition on Just Dance. One of the other Club HAL girls came in and took over at 10 for the six kids who had signed up to stay for after-hours and the rest of us went to change into formalwear before heading up to the festivities! There were parties in every room on the first two floors. Laura, Triston, Peter and I (half of Club HAL) ended up going to the Queens Lounge and hanging out there listening to one of the HAL Cats bands play (on Vista and Signature Class ships there are two HAL Cats and no Neptunes).
About thirty minutes before midnight, Laura and I went up to the Crow’s Nest to help Betsy with the teens since the other guy helping her was in the midnight festivities as Father Time and had to leave and get ready. We got there and we all went down to the Mainstage (known on other ships as the Vista Lounge, or the Showroom). There were TONS of people there, the first two levels hardly had space to move around, but Laura and I kind of blended in with the teens and danced. We went up to the balcony 10 minutes before midnight, found Triston and Peter, and found less people up there so we ended up with a really great view of the stage and crowd below. The balloon drop went off well and then it was the new year. We listened to a few more songs of the HAL Cats, then went down to the crew party. There were an interesting mix of people there, some of us were still dressed formal while others were in shorts or jeans.
This morning, I was about to get up to get ready and go ashore, but about the time I was getting out of bed, they made an announcement saying that crew weren’t allowed shore leave today. So, I went back to bed for a while, then got up and read until lunch. I stayed at lunch with the rest of Club HAL until 2, when we opened. It was a very non-hands-on day for us. We had a Just Dance competition again (this time it was on the schedule), then one of the dancers from the cast came in and gave a dance lesson. After that, it was closing time. Triston, Laura and I (the three of us are with the tweens) went down to the Lido for a bit and got a snack before heading back down to our rooms.
I just bought an internet card since it seems like it might be worth it, the internet on this ship apparently works well!
It’s been a busy first few days. I don’t think that will ever change for the first few days of being on a new ship. I had to go to the normal meetings, then got a general tour of the ship from my YPC Anna. It’s very much like the Oosterdam so nothing too new there. Then, there was an hour before I had to go to another meeting, so I went back to the room where I met my roommate Betsy. She got on that day too, but is only staying on for a week. We got out of the meeting in time for us to change and head up to Club HAL. All 8 members of Club HAL worked Open House from 12-3. It was really busy, I was finding all the supplies and trying to help register people and give the kids tours of the area, all at the same time!
After Open House was over, the emergency drill started. Betsy and I went to the Entertainment Office to use our phones for a little bit before we left. The cruise director said it was okay, but first we had to go find the list of holiday ducks that had been placed around the ship for last week. Most of them ended up being in locked cabinets, and since the drill was going on there was no one around to get them for us. We ended up only getting one of twelve!
At 4:30 we had to attend the sailaway party. I was not expecting to have to do that again. It’s a very big deal here. All the orange-shirt-wearers (the Explorations Team) have to get up and dance while the band plays, trying to get other people to dance as well. Of course no one came up to dance with us, so it was just 15 or so of us there, a sea of orange. That lasted an hour, and we all went to eat a quick dinner before going to the Entertainment Meeting. It’s a MUCH bigger entertainment department than on the Maasdam, it was kind of weird seeing that many people, and not knowing many of them.
It was a busy first night in Club HAL. I’m with two others, Triston and Laura in the Tweens room. We had about 25 kids come up; the room isn’t really that big, so it started to get a little cramped. This Club HAL has an air hockey table, foosball table, one group of small tables, a couch and rug area and another small table. Some of the kids ended up playing card games or board games at the tables, but there wasn’t enough room for three games at once, so some groups ended up on the floor. I felt like I was tripping over everyone all night long.
I was really tired, so went to bed early, not long after we got off work.
Half Moon Cay day was fun! I had a meeting at 8:30, then a safety drill after. It didn’t last too terribly long, so I got to relax some before I went up for lunch. I ended up sitting with the DJ, he was on the bus with me coming in and is brand new to ships. I hadn’t really decided whether I was going ashore or not, but I decided to go with Seth (the DJ) since then I wouldn’t be alone. We met some of the other Club HAL people ashore and we all just hung out in the sun and swam until it was almost time for the last crew tender.
I came back and ended up napping until dinner. I wasn’t quite impressed with the dinner choices, but after I got some food and kind of lost my appetite for it, I found out that they had burgers in one of the lines.
It was another busy night in Club HAL, but at least we had more of a plan to follow with the theme: Eurodam Olympics. We had them break up into teams and make banners. One group came in kind of later during free time and it turns out that they speak French! They’re very easy-going kids, so it was easy giving them the instructions for the activities. We did some sports activities outside, then came back about 30 minutes before closing and did some other activities in the room.
Once all the kids left, Anna asked us to help deliver the daily programs to the rooms, so we divided up and each took a floor or two, then helped sort the others and deliver them as well (even and odd room numbers). After that, we had to go to the stage and help blow up balloons for the New Years balloon drop. That didn’t take as long as I thought it would, because the entire entertainment department was there to help. Finally we got to go change and head to the OB to hang out.
This morning, I went up for breakfast to discover that all the tweens and kids youth staff were there! It was nice having people to eat breakfast with for a change. We went up to Club HAL for the morning activities. Some of the kids were already up there waiting for us when we got there 10 minutes early! We played games, did some crafts, played air hockey and played more games until our lunch break. We stayed in the Lido our whole break, just chatting. After lunch, the kids were waiting for us again. We did a craft, but then started our card games early since there were quite a few that didn’t want to draw. We ended up playing Spoons for an hour. The kids loved it, most of them hadn’t played it before so we had to teach them, but they caught on very quickly.
There was a bit of craziness during ice cream time since the Lido was packed when we were supposed to go down, so we put it off for a while, but then the ice cream line was long when we did go down, so we had to wait a while before we could get all 30 of the kids ice cream. After that, we attempted to go up to the Sports Deck, but there were a lot of people there as well. We’d missed our slot because of the Lido issues so we just took the kids back inside and played some group games until it was time to go.
Jan 1, 2013
Last night’s theme was Lights Camera Action. I’d only done that theme for an hour before the family dance on the Oosterdam so it was interesting having three hours to fill with it. But, it was also New Years Eve so we kind of combined the two to make one theme night. We had a big “farewell to 2012” banner that we filled with major events from the year, then we had them each make stars for their celebrity persona indicating what they were famous for, and we attached them to the beads we’d given them for New Years. We played Celebrity Heads for a while, but the ‘audience’ of kids kept giving away the answers before the person had a chance to guess so we gave up on that, and had a dance competition on Just Dance. One of the other Club HAL girls came in and took over at 10 for the six kids who had signed up to stay for after-hours and the rest of us went to change into formalwear before heading up to the festivities! There were parties in every room on the first two floors. Laura, Triston, Peter and I (half of Club HAL) ended up going to the Queens Lounge and hanging out there listening to one of the HAL Cats bands play (on Vista and Signature Class ships there are two HAL Cats and no Neptunes).
About thirty minutes before midnight, Laura and I went up to the Crow’s Nest to help Betsy with the teens since the other guy helping her was in the midnight festivities as Father Time and had to leave and get ready. We got there and we all went down to the Mainstage (known on other ships as the Vista Lounge, or the Showroom). There were TONS of people there, the first two levels hardly had space to move around, but Laura and I kind of blended in with the teens and danced. We went up to the balcony 10 minutes before midnight, found Triston and Peter, and found less people up there so we ended up with a really great view of the stage and crowd below. The balloon drop went off well and then it was the new year. We listened to a few more songs of the HAL Cats, then went down to the crew party. There were an interesting mix of people there, some of us were still dressed formal while others were in shorts or jeans.
This morning, I was about to get up to get ready and go ashore, but about the time I was getting out of bed, they made an announcement saying that crew weren’t allowed shore leave today. So, I went back to bed for a while, then got up and read until lunch. I stayed at lunch with the rest of Club HAL until 2, when we opened. It was a very non-hands-on day for us. We had a Just Dance competition again (this time it was on the schedule), then one of the dancers from the cast came in and gave a dance lesson. After that, it was closing time. Triston, Laura and I (the three of us are with the tweens) went down to the Lido for a bit and got a snack before heading back down to our rooms.
I just bought an internet card since it seems like it might be worth it, the internet on this ship apparently works well!
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