April 10, 2013: Sea Day
None of the teens came this morning, so when Chrissy came in to check on me, she decided that we should just give up on them coming. So, she re-worked the schedule. Not we’re working 1.5 hour shifts except for port days. I didn’t start until 2:30 this afternoon, got off at 4 and started again at 8:30.
I thought I’d be a little bit bored after 4, but I met up with Stephanie (wife of one of the officers) and we chatted for a while, then I met up with one of the HAL Cats and we chatted for a while before decided to play cards in the OB for a while. So, that filled up my afternoon. I hung out at dinner for a while before going up to Club HAL to take over for Camp night. We built a fort and played hide-and-seek with one of the bears they had made. It was an easy hour.
Chrissy and Kassie came back up to help me supersan. They let me go get change and return the bucket while they waited for the person to come by and check it. I met up with Jessie and we went to the Queen’s Lounge. It was great being out at night. I’d been working until midnight since I got on this ship! We listened the HAL Cats play in the Queen’s Lounge, then went to the OB and played cards.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
And so starts my last week on the Zuiderdam!!
April 8, 2013: Ft. Lauderdale
The last two sea days of the cruise were pretty boring, as usual. So, nothing really to report.
Charlotte and I got up early and did some shopping before hurrying back to the ship for work. I had to work open house which basically meant I read and listened to music for two hours until two families showed up.
It was a kind of busy afternoon after open house, I had to do wristbands, then quickly went up to text Mom and Dad until the entertainment department meeting at 4. By the time the pointless meeting ended, we were almost already out of the port.
The night went by really really slowly. None of the teens showed up, so I ended up just sitting in the Loft playing Lego Harry Potter and doing sudokus and reading. Chrissy came by when they closed Club HAL and said I could just leave at 11 if no one had shown up by then. No one did, so I got to leave early.
April 9, 2013: Half Moon Cay
It was Charlotte’s birthday, so after I got off work (I dug a huge hole in the sand with one of the kids, and made a volcano, haha) I joined her, and a few others on the beach. We had snacks: chips and brownies and mini-cakes, and the cast invited us to play volleyball with them. I just took pictures. It was pretty fun, but I had to leave early since I was scheduled to work at 2 and wanted a quick lunch beforehand. I had 15 minutes to change, run upstairs and get food before work because they wouldn’t let crew on the tender for a while. I ended up taking my pizza upstairs and eating it in the Loft. No one came this afternoon, so I did a lot of sudokus, read, and gave instructions on how to get to the library/Crow’s Nest. It was a pretty boring afternoon to be honest. I had dinner with Erich (videographer) and Jessie then went down to the room to shower and get all the sand off of me finally. I went to visit Charlotte and helped her shelve books until I had to get back to the Loft. Again, no one showed up so I played Lego Harry Potter, then went to the show with Chrissy and Kassie before going back to close up the Loft. I can already tell it’s going to be a strange week.
The last two sea days of the cruise were pretty boring, as usual. So, nothing really to report.
Charlotte and I got up early and did some shopping before hurrying back to the ship for work. I had to work open house which basically meant I read and listened to music for two hours until two families showed up.
It was a kind of busy afternoon after open house, I had to do wristbands, then quickly went up to text Mom and Dad until the entertainment department meeting at 4. By the time the pointless meeting ended, we were almost already out of the port.
The night went by really really slowly. None of the teens showed up, so I ended up just sitting in the Loft playing Lego Harry Potter and doing sudokus and reading. Chrissy came by when they closed Club HAL and said I could just leave at 11 if no one had shown up by then. No one did, so I got to leave early.
April 9, 2013: Half Moon Cay
It was Charlotte’s birthday, so after I got off work (I dug a huge hole in the sand with one of the kids, and made a volcano, haha) I joined her, and a few others on the beach. We had snacks: chips and brownies and mini-cakes, and the cast invited us to play volleyball with them. I just took pictures. It was pretty fun, but I had to leave early since I was scheduled to work at 2 and wanted a quick lunch beforehand. I had 15 minutes to change, run upstairs and get food before work because they wouldn’t let crew on the tender for a while. I ended up taking my pizza upstairs and eating it in the Loft. No one came this afternoon, so I did a lot of sudokus, read, and gave instructions on how to get to the library/Crow’s Nest. It was a pretty boring afternoon to be honest. I had dinner with Erich (videographer) and Jessie then went down to the room to shower and get all the sand off of me finally. I went to visit Charlotte and helped her shelve books until I had to get back to the Loft. Again, no one showed up so I played Lego Harry Potter, then went to the show with Chrissy and Kassie before going back to close up the Loft. I can already tell it’s going to be a strange week.
panama
April 4, 2013: Panama
All of my teens went on excursions so I hung out in the Loft alone all morning, playing lego Harry Potter, doing sudokus, and going over the books we have in the Loft. I had a quick lunch, then went outside to enjoy the warmth for a while. By 1, I was a bit warm and had no idea what to do for the next hour until work. I went to the library to see if Charlotte needed any help. She had just opened the book drop to check in and shelve everything and had a headache so was very happy that I showed up, since she probably would’ve had to stay past 2 to get everything done without help. I met my teens and we went down to participate in the dance class: samba today.
The rest of the afternoon went quickly, then I had a short dinner break before going back. Only a few came tonight, so we hung out and played cards the whole night.
All of my teens went on excursions so I hung out in the Loft alone all morning, playing lego Harry Potter, doing sudokus, and going over the books we have in the Loft. I had a quick lunch, then went outside to enjoy the warmth for a while. By 1, I was a bit warm and had no idea what to do for the next hour until work. I went to the library to see if Charlotte needed any help. She had just opened the book drop to check in and shelve everything and had a headache so was very happy that I showed up, since she probably would’ve had to stay past 2 to get everything done without help. I met my teens and we went down to participate in the dance class: samba today.
The rest of the afternoon went quickly, then I had a short dinner break before going back. Only a few came tonight, so we hung out and played cards the whole night.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Aruba/Sea day
April 2, 2013: Aruba
Fire drill this morning, then I got off with Charlotte and went to the ice cream place. We both got muffins since it was still early. The internet was working well there this week, so that was nice. I left on my own because I had to work at 12. There weren’t any kids when I got there, so I put up a sign and headed down to lunch. Around 1, someone showed up. It was the son of the acrobats that had been on the Maasdam for the crossing back to the US! He recognized me and he told me about what they’ve been doing since then. Quite a few other kids came, but it was pretty quiet: some of the boys were playing xbox, the other older kids were playing on the wii, and the little ones were coloring with me.
I ended up going to the room and reading until dinner and work again. I sat alone in the Loft for awhile while everyone was at dinner, then a few came. We played cards for a while before going to the acrobat show, then went back to the Loft, listened to music and played more cards. It was a pretty easy night, all the teens seemed pretty tired.
April 3, 2013: Sea Day
This morning wore on for a while. I sat in the Loft alone for a while, then played cards with the one teen to come until some others came, then I taught them all Phase 10 since we’d been playing Rummy a lot. The afternoon was pretty much the same. A group of them watched a movie on one of their computers (a scary movie, they knew I didn’t want to watch it), while the rest of us played Phase 10, then made friendship bracelets. The evening was pretty much the same, not much to talk about. I did meet the other Club HAL girls at the OB after work though, Michelle and I went out on the bow and talked. Turns out that she took the contract on the Rotterdam that I turned down during Christmas/New Years.
Fire drill this morning, then I got off with Charlotte and went to the ice cream place. We both got muffins since it was still early. The internet was working well there this week, so that was nice. I left on my own because I had to work at 12. There weren’t any kids when I got there, so I put up a sign and headed down to lunch. Around 1, someone showed up. It was the son of the acrobats that had been on the Maasdam for the crossing back to the US! He recognized me and he told me about what they’ve been doing since then. Quite a few other kids came, but it was pretty quiet: some of the boys were playing xbox, the other older kids were playing on the wii, and the little ones were coloring with me.
I ended up going to the room and reading until dinner and work again. I sat alone in the Loft for awhile while everyone was at dinner, then a few came. We played cards for a while before going to the acrobat show, then went back to the Loft, listened to music and played more cards. It was a pretty easy night, all the teens seemed pretty tired.
April 3, 2013: Sea Day
This morning wore on for a while. I sat in the Loft alone for a while, then played cards with the one teen to come until some others came, then I taught them all Phase 10 since we’d been playing Rummy a lot. The afternoon was pretty much the same. A group of them watched a movie on one of their computers (a scary movie, they knew I didn’t want to watch it), while the rest of us played Phase 10, then made friendship bracelets. The evening was pretty much the same, not much to talk about. I did meet the other Club HAL girls at the OB after work though, Michelle and I went out on the bow and talked. Turns out that she took the contract on the Rotterdam that I turned down during Christmas/New Years.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Curacao
April 1, 2013: Curacao
I kind of feel like today was completely unproductive. I wish I could have just started it all over and maybe have things go right, or at least go... This morning, I was in the loft for the morning shift, and none of them showed up. At 11:30, Chrissy came to tell me that we had to have a Club HAL meeting with the Event Manager to talk about the ‘new’ rules. They’re basically the same rules that are common sense for working with children. It took an hour and we only went over the health and sanitization information. The rest of it wasn’t on the computer so we’re going over it later, so Michelle and I went to lunch.
After lunch, the two of us went to the bow to watch us dock. It was pretty cool, but really windy. Michelle couldn’t get off today sine she stll hasn’t finished her new-crew card to get her ID. I found out that the Celebrity Eclipse couldn’t dock in Curacao because the wind was too strong. I was supposed to meet Blake (from the Maasdam, now works on that ship) and go to the beach, get some internet and catch up. When I found out they weren’t here, I was at a loss about what to do since I’d told everyone I had plans already. I tried calling Kayleigh, but she didn’t answer. So, I decided to just venture out on my own (again. It’s not fun here really unless you’re with friends). On my way out, I met Matan who was going out for internet so I joined him. When we got to the café, I could connect to the wireless network, but not the internet. I stayed as Matan did stuff online for a while, then he let me use his computer to check my emails really quickly before we went back to the ship. I attempted to nap until dinner, then hung out with Charlotte in the library until work.
The teens were tired (not a surprise at all this week), so we just put in a movie to start. Not a fan of that movie at all, it’s called “Knowing” and it’s pretty creepy. Luckily, the pool party was happening and they all like to eat so we went down to the Lido to get some food. I got coerced into doing the line dances again (not too bad this week now that I dragged my teens to dance as well. After that, we went back upstairs and played card games until they all went to bed.
I kind of feel like today was completely unproductive. I wish I could have just started it all over and maybe have things go right, or at least go... This morning, I was in the loft for the morning shift, and none of them showed up. At 11:30, Chrissy came to tell me that we had to have a Club HAL meeting with the Event Manager to talk about the ‘new’ rules. They’re basically the same rules that are common sense for working with children. It took an hour and we only went over the health and sanitization information. The rest of it wasn’t on the computer so we’re going over it later, so Michelle and I went to lunch.
After lunch, the two of us went to the bow to watch us dock. It was pretty cool, but really windy. Michelle couldn’t get off today sine she stll hasn’t finished her new-crew card to get her ID. I found out that the Celebrity Eclipse couldn’t dock in Curacao because the wind was too strong. I was supposed to meet Blake (from the Maasdam, now works on that ship) and go to the beach, get some internet and catch up. When I found out they weren’t here, I was at a loss about what to do since I’d told everyone I had plans already. I tried calling Kayleigh, but she didn’t answer. So, I decided to just venture out on my own (again. It’s not fun here really unless you’re with friends). On my way out, I met Matan who was going out for internet so I joined him. When we got to the café, I could connect to the wireless network, but not the internet. I stayed as Matan did stuff online for a while, then he let me use his computer to check my emails really quickly before we went back to the ship. I attempted to nap until dinner, then hung out with Charlotte in the library until work.
The teens were tired (not a surprise at all this week), so we just put in a movie to start. Not a fan of that movie at all, it’s called “Knowing” and it’s pretty creepy. Luckily, the pool party was happening and they all like to eat so we went down to the Lido to get some food. I got coerced into doing the line dances again (not too bad this week now that I dragged my teens to dance as well. After that, we went back upstairs and played card games until they all went to bed.
Easter on a ship
March 31, 2013: Sea Day… EASTER!
It’s been a busy day for me. I got up at 7 to be at a church service at 8, then met Chrissy at 9 to do egg-dying with the kids (Michelle and Kassie had one of the new-crew meetings). In the middle of that, Chase (the DJ) came by and needed my help to get face paint so we could turn him into the Easter bunny. Then, I had to go get extra candy for him to give out to the kids and guests as he wandered around the ship as the bunny. Then, I had to get the eggs for the teens and hide them in the Queen’s Lounge before I went to work at 10 and our egg hunt at 11. We played cards for an hour, then went downstairs for the egg hunt only to find that a cooking demonstration was occurring in the Queen’s Lounge, where I had already hidden the eggs! We went back upstairs only to go back down at 12 when it was done. Less than half of the eggs were left in the lounge, and half of the ones left were empty of candy! What a wonderful scheduling error. I definitely wish the entertainment department had had a meeting to discuss the plans for Easter, that way there would be no double-scheduling of rooms and I would’ve known to get stuff for Chase to become the Easter bunny. It could’ve all gone a lot smoother than it did if someone would’ve at least MENTIONED some of this stuff to me. I didn’t find out until 10:30 last night that I was going to have to help at 9 with the egg-dying!
At least I did get to go to church though. :) The pastor talked about joy, how we should leap for joy at Jesus’ resurrection, and in general all the time because of His return for us. Joy. I’m usually happy, but I really need to work on being truly joyous about life and remembering all God has done for me! I won’t forget it today, despite all today’s problems/insanity.
I went to the show with a few of the teens and then was alone for a little while before a few more came and we played cards until almost midnight I SuperSan-ed then went to meet people at the OB for a while.
It’s been a busy day for me. I got up at 7 to be at a church service at 8, then met Chrissy at 9 to do egg-dying with the kids (Michelle and Kassie had one of the new-crew meetings). In the middle of that, Chase (the DJ) came by and needed my help to get face paint so we could turn him into the Easter bunny. Then, I had to go get extra candy for him to give out to the kids and guests as he wandered around the ship as the bunny. Then, I had to get the eggs for the teens and hide them in the Queen’s Lounge before I went to work at 10 and our egg hunt at 11. We played cards for an hour, then went downstairs for the egg hunt only to find that a cooking demonstration was occurring in the Queen’s Lounge, where I had already hidden the eggs! We went back upstairs only to go back down at 12 when it was done. Less than half of the eggs were left in the lounge, and half of the ones left were empty of candy! What a wonderful scheduling error. I definitely wish the entertainment department had had a meeting to discuss the plans for Easter, that way there would be no double-scheduling of rooms and I would’ve known to get stuff for Chase to become the Easter bunny. It could’ve all gone a lot smoother than it did if someone would’ve at least MENTIONED some of this stuff to me. I didn’t find out until 10:30 last night that I was going to have to help at 9 with the egg-dying!
At least I did get to go to church though. :) The pastor talked about joy, how we should leap for joy at Jesus’ resurrection, and in general all the time because of His return for us. Joy. I’m usually happy, but I really need to work on being truly joyous about life and remembering all God has done for me! I won’t forget it today, despite all today’s problems/insanity.
I went to the show with a few of the teens and then was alone for a little while before a few more came and we played cards until almost midnight I SuperSan-ed then went to meet people at the OB for a while.
beautiful Half Moon
March 30, 2013: Half Moon Cay
Interesting day. I got off around 9, spent 45 minutes on the tender waiting for it to fill up so I could get to shore to help out with the island activities. None of my teens came so I helped make sandcastles and played Frisbees with some of the tweens. After that, I walked down the beach to see if I could find anyone. I didn’t see anyone, so I set my stuff down and continued walking for a few minutes to check further down the beach. When I came back to my stuff, I found August and one of the Adagios who joined me. Kayleigh came a bit later, followed by Kassie. We chatted and just enjoyed the sun since it was pretty cold in the water.
I had to be in the Loft at 2, so I headed back a bit early, changed quickly, then ran upstairs to put a sign on the door saying I was in the Lido (I needed to get lunch, and there was still another 30 minutes or more until all aboard for guests). Charlotte and I ate together, then I went up to the Loft and hung out with the few teens that came up.
Tonight, a few more teens joined us. We played ping pong for a while, then wii sports resort games until they were all too tired to stay up any later and went to bed.
Interesting day. I got off around 9, spent 45 minutes on the tender waiting for it to fill up so I could get to shore to help out with the island activities. None of my teens came so I helped make sandcastles and played Frisbees with some of the tweens. After that, I walked down the beach to see if I could find anyone. I didn’t see anyone, so I set my stuff down and continued walking for a few minutes to check further down the beach. When I came back to my stuff, I found August and one of the Adagios who joined me. Kayleigh came a bit later, followed by Kassie. We chatted and just enjoyed the sun since it was pretty cold in the water.
I had to be in the Loft at 2, so I headed back a bit early, changed quickly, then ran upstairs to put a sign on the door saying I was in the Lido (I needed to get lunch, and there was still another 30 minutes or more until all aboard for guests). Charlotte and I ate together, then I went up to the Loft and hung out with the few teens that came up.
Tonight, a few more teens joined us. We played ping pong for a while, then wii sports resort games until they were all too tired to stay up any later and went to bed.
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