Photos!

Team Activity Part 1: lunch at the Bistro cafe on the ship (yummy crepes!)


Everyone all dressed up!

walking to the Bistro through the casino


Team Activity Part 2: at the beach in Aruba!




waiting for the Arubus

so many lizards! iguanas!


St.Patrick's Day party in the crew bar





Crew farewell party for the Captain in the Rendezvous Lounge





Group meeting in the manager's cabin



In St.Maarten



random Canadian flag on the beach in St.Lucia


another party (on the open deck 12)


photo on the wall in my room


found paper mantra

cruise update

Cruise #3
Day 9/14
Current Location: at sea (en route to Aruba)

Today is a much better day. After reading my last entry I was feeling so negative, but I realize now that positive thinking gets you so much farther. Even though I had to start work at 7:30 to display all the photos from last night's formal night before the gallery opens at 9, I ended up only working until 9pm in the gallery instead of the usual 11pm (I had a nice break in between shifts where I slept :). I ended up selling 4 cameras today! 3 of them were to the same guy!!! (1 for himself and 2 for his twin daughters birthday) and I also sold a Get The Picture CD!

There are some interesting characters on this cruise. This one lady who is in a wheelchair has a tiny black dog (a poodle I think) & she carries on her lap everywhere! It's name is Pumpkin, and it's super cute, but no one is allowed to touch it. She says it's a "working" dog, but I'm not sure what kind of work it could possibly do, besides keep her company. Whenever anyone tries to pet or touch it she hits their hand away and says it can't be touched because it's "working with it's nose" so I guess some kind of sniffing dog. It has it's own ID card and the other night it had it's own portrait taken haha. It's a very cute dog, I'll try and get a photo of it. When I was shooting the dining room last night she brought it out from under the table (on her lap) and had her photo taken with it. Weird, but cute.

Another interesting lady is always dressed very stylish (lots of sequins, large bow ties, always wearing sunglasses) and is surrounded by all these young(er) gay guys (also fabulously dressed). Some people have said that she could be Lady Gaga's grandma haha. I heard from the cabaret singer/pianist who plays in the lounge beside the photo gallery that she is the former "Miss Miami" (obviously from many years ago), so maybe that's why she dresses like she does. Either way it's very entertaining, and many guests stop to look at her photo in the gallery.

There's lot of cute kids that are really fun to photograph. And this one young girl (I'd say around 14) with an asymmetrical haircut and awesome style. It makes me miss being that age.

A few nights ago a bunch of us went to the crew jacuzzi on the open deck, but it was covered with a net. We decided to just untie part of it and dip our feet in. All of the lights were off but we were visible from the bridge. Some people in the group decided to go up the staircase and onto the helicopter pad and do some kind of titanic move, which got the attention of the captain on the bridge and all the lights were turned on. We all got out, re-tied the net and left right away. But the next day one of the girls who was on the heli-pad was called by the staff captain and got a verbal warning. Luckily she didn't say who else was there, but now we have to be very careful about going there at night time. The hours aren't listed anywhere, but I guess we should have known that with the net being over it that we shouldn't have been there. Oops.

Tomorrow we have someone from head office coming for the rest of this cruise to observe the operations onboard. We also have a new BM (business manager) coming onboard tomorrow, and next cruise we'll have a new AMP (assistant manager of production). I'm going to miss them both.

Oh and another pet peeve (kinda) to add to the list from yesterday. When I received my uniform in Miami, all of my pants didn't fit me (I had to go to Walmart and buy similar ones). They said it could take a few cruises to get the right ones to me, but I still haven't got them yet!! I'm supposed to have 2 pairs of grey pants (we wear them everyday, for day and evening uniform) but I only have one pair, which I've only been able to wash once (when I was sick) so it's pretty annoying. I hope I get my pants soon!

Tomorrow I'm going to be in the dolphin costume again... I really hope I don't get sick again!! I washed the body part of the costume but the head can't be washed... I hope my germs are gone from 2 weeks ago! Wow 2 weeks already? It feels like I was just sick. Boy time flies when you're always working!

a few complaints...

I'm writing this from the terminal in Grenada. I finally have a gangway off, after working the past 3 gangways (except Barbados, everyone has that off, but I was stuck on the ship 'port manning'). Everyone has had at least 1 gangway off, some have had 2. But instead of working gangway I was scheduled to clean the supply room! That made me kind of upset, cause no one else had other tasks to do on their gangway off. But instead of waking up early to clean it, me and Alex (who has the same schedule as me) decided to do it last night after our gallery shift. I ended up working from 6:30-11pm (in the gallery) and then until 12:45 cleaning! with only a 20 minute break the whole night. Small things like this are starting to get to me, but luckily it's not a common occurrence. Also some people who started in the gallery later than me got their breaks before me, that doesn't usually happen.

One other thing that upset me was that I was selling cameras to 2 different people and they both said they would "think about it and come back later". But when they came back, someone else sold it to them! So I lost out on that commission, even though I did all the work :( Oh well, I know what comes around goes around, so maybe the same will happen to me (where I can make the sale without doing the work), is that horrible of me to say?? I told this to my manager and he said he's going to make us business cards to give to people who are going to come back later so that we can get the sale, but I'm not sure that will really solve the problem.

Overall, this cruise is better than the last. More people are buying things and they are more friendly. We have a new product called "Get the Picture" where you can get all of your images from the entire cruise on a CD (you can print them from home, as many copies as you want and any size). It's also good because you can email the pictures or upload them to websites without having to scan the photo. It seems like a lot of money ($299 originally, but this cruise only it's $249) but the more photos someone takes, the more value it has. An average person has about 20-30 photos taken throughout the cruise, some people have lots more, like 50-100!! But it's hard to push for this offer because it sounds like a lot of money. As an incentive (since photog 1s don't get any commission on the photo sales), the person who sells the most CDs get a full day off! I've sold 1 so far (the person in the lead has sold 4). The good thing with this product is that it makes it easier for us to sell the 'Family Package' ($114) which includes 4 large photos, 2 small photos, a folio to display the pictures in and the cruise DVD (we get commission on both the folio and the DVD).

Tonight is formal night, I'm not looking forward to it. I had a 1-on-1 with the production manager and he says I need to improve my dining room shooting, so tonight I have to be on the top of my game. I really hate shooting in the dining room! I hope I can impress him this time. If not, I might not make it to photog 2 (even though I've passed the online courses, I need the managers approval before the promotion happens).

Almost Photog 2!!

Today we're in St.Maarten for the second time. I tried to find a post office (I have so many postcards to send!!) but it was too far out of the way. Instead I just went to the beach and went online. Unfortunately it rained while we were swimming, but just a nice light sprinkling, quite refreshing actually.

While I was using the wifi, I finished my Photog 2 online courses!! Now I just have to wait for head office to email my manager so that he can complete a checklist confirming I know what I know. I'm not sure when that will happen but hopefully some time this week.

I got my first package on the ship this cruise! It was from my manager at Sunrise, Carlos. He sent me 2 new CDs (Buck 65 & Cut Copy) which was so nice and unexpected. I've been craving some new music. Even though I don't have much time to listen to it, music is a huge part of my life, especially when I worked for Sunrise! So a big thank you to Carlos for that (he also included my horoscope from NOW magazine!). I'm still waiting for 2 more packages that I know about, but this one was a surprise, and all my co-workers were jealous :)

All in all, things are going well onboard. I'm no longer sick, and I don't feel the need to come home (but I do still miss everyone). I have paid off my uniform and now all the money I earn will be mine! I'm so happy that I bought my camera and paid for my security deposit before I came, because these new girls told me they are going to take 3 months just to pay off what they owe (they got a D300, more expensive camera than mine)!!

I don't have much else to say, just wanted to let everyone know where I'm at & that I'm happy (so no worrying :). The night before last I had the best sleep ever (well, on the ship so far). It was the day after formal night & I didn't have to go to work until noon! Its nice feeling well rested.

Oh and (sorta) exciting news, my nails are finally growing in nice and strong and I haven't bitten them for almost a month!!! If you didn't know, I've always bitten my nails, so it's very exciting for me to actually have nails for once in my life. My only complaint (unrelated to my nails) is that my hands and feet are starting to get rough and blistered from all the heavy lifting & rough/awkward equipment, mainly from the portrait set up (auto poles, lights, cameras, etc.). I guess all this lifting will make me stronger in the end, so I'll think of it as a positive thing, and rejoice!

One last thing... I'm really missing Tim Hortons coffee! The stuff they have onboard is so awful, I just don't drink it :(

1/6th of the way done!

I'm officially done my second cruise, and first month of my contract (yay!). I'm also feeling better now, after having 2 days off duty from work (yay!). I wish I could say it was nice to have time off, but it was actually very boring. I slept most of the time and didn't leave my cabin except to eat and see the doctor. But I tried to make the most of it by doing my online courses (I'm half way done my Photog 2 level- yay!).

I've been having a hard time getting to sleep at night, even when I'm feeling exhausted. I just lay there and have so many thoughts passing through my mind. Also there's so many noises/sounds from the ship that I can't help but pay attention to. It's very frustrating, especially after a long day like a formal night, all I want to do is sleep and I just lie there. I've been thinking about ending my contract early, but I just can't quit that easy. I know I have it in me, I just need to stay focused and not let all the bad things get in the way. Rejection is a large part of my job, and it can get very tiring dealing with rude guests. I keep thinking about how nice my life was/is back home, but I know that I will be a better and stronger person after my 6 months are done :)

A few days ago a crew member went missing. The rumour going around was that he was talking on the phone to his family back home in India and was crying and then grabbed a bible and left his room. His roommate did not seen him for 2 days. Of course many people suspected that he jumped overboard (because how else can someone just go missing for 2 days on a ship this size), and it turns out the suspicions were true :( My manager let us know that they found video footage of him jumping off at 4am, and they tried to go back to find him but it was nearly impossible at that time of night (it's pitch black out, you can't tell the sea from the sky). There was a moment of silence for him. It makes me feel so sad, that something could make a person want to do that.

In other (less sad) news, at our meeting yesterday I was awarded for my good sales and my good name comment from last cruise, and was given a scratch card with a prize to be revealed. Well it wasn't much of a prize, just a "congratulations, you have won a chance in the airline ticket raffle" meaning that I might have my plane ticket home paid for! I'm not sure how many people are entered in this draw, or how often it happens, but it would be really cool if I won!

This morning I shot the embarkation photos, and this group of people look like a lot more fun. There's more kids (well, by more I mean maybe 15 instead of 2) and more younger people and first time cruisers. So I hope this will equal more sales for us. The problem with older crowds is that they're always saying how many pictures they already have at home because this is their 40th cruise or whatever.

More changes are happening to the photo team! After this cruise, the production manager is signing off, also the most senior photographer Evelyn is signing off, and Alena is most likely going to be transfered to the ship that her boyfriend is now on. So many changes!!! But it's good for me because I can move up and become a senior photographer quickly.

I'm going to go and finish my online courses now.

feeling sick :(

On Sunday night there was a crew party on the open deck 12 (the top level on the ship), in celebration of the ship's high ratings (the best in the fleet!). It was partly open bar (select beers, while supplies last) which was fun. It was nice to party on the open deck, rather than the smokey bar, and you could see so many stars, it was beautiful.

The next day I woke up feeling really bad, and not just hung over bad, like the beginning of sickness bad. I had a sore throat, headache, runny nose, and had sweat all throughout the night. (un)luckily for me, I was in a dolphin costume so I didn't have to smile and be friendly to the guests (I was really not in the mood for that). From 8-11am I was doing my best to dance around and get people to stop for photos, because the manager said when we reached our target (300 photos) we could come in, regardless of the time. But no one wanted to take photos! I think we got only 225. So many people passing by said "oh I feel bad for whoever is in there" but not bad enough to stop and take a picture! I felt like telling people about the target we have to reach, but we can't really say that. It was so hot in the costume, even though we were in the shade. I couldn't help but wonder the last time the costume was cleaned. I made sure to bring it to the laundry after I was done with it so the next person wouldn't get sick. I slept for the rest of the afternoon, until I had to work. Once there, all my co-workers could tell something was wrong. Petro had been sick earlier in the week, so I think I got it from her. She told me she saw the doctor and he gave her some antibiotics and Advil cold & sinus pills. I asked her for some, and left the gallery to go to her room. On the way there I saw one of my managers and he said "aren't you supposed to be in the gallery?" When I got back to the gallery he took me aside and told me I wasn't allowed to leave without telling someone. I explained what happened and that I had told someone (he wasn't around for me to tell, but another manager went with me). At this point I felt so crappy I just wanted to leave, but I had 4 more hours to work. He started saying things to me that had me on the verge of tears (saying it's ok to feel homesick, which I wasn't... up until he said that). All I wanted at that moment was to be at home in my bed, a nice warm bath and my moms homemade chicken noodle soup (there's no chicken soup anywhere on this ship!) There's nothing worse than feeling sick AND homesick AND knowing that you have to work 10 hours every day for the next 5 months. I just broke down and went to my room (after being excused of course). I tried to calm down but ended up hyperventilating in my washroom (luckily my roommate was not there). I drank some water and read a bit to calm myself down, and then returned to work. The rest of the night was fine, except that I had to work an extra hour selling cameras as part of a crew sale outside the staff bar. I ended up selling 3 cameras, Evelyn sold 4 cameras. After that I showered and went to bed right away.

Today I was lucky to have the best schedule ever. Gangway off and only working the gallery 5-9, except there was a boat drill at 10:30am I had to wake up for. I was just issued a new emergency number (before mine was 1252, and now it's 547... there were too many high numbers and some lower numbers needed to be filled). I really liked my emergency number before, my job was "assistant group member" meaning I didn't have a specific job, they just used these people to assist where necessary. My position I reported to was the crew life raft, which means I didn't have to participate in the passenger drills (which happen once or twice per cruise). Now my duty is to stand on the staircase and direct the guests to their muster stations (each guest is assigned to an area A, B, C or D on deck 4) and in the case of an abandon ship alarm, I have to report to a passenger lifeboat #18 (which is not bad because many of my coworkers are on this lifeboat).

After this drill I went back to sleep until 4pm and woke up still feeling shitty. I decided to eat something (even though I had no appetite) and went to see the doctor. After some paper work and a quick examination he gave me some papers to take to my manager that said I am not fit for duty, so I have the rest of the night off. I have to return to the doctor tomorrow, and likely get a flu shot (which I don't want to get, but was the doctors orders). I will have the gangway off tomorrow also, but it just sucks that I am too sick to go out. We'll be in Bonaire tomorrow, a new place for this cruise (last cruise we went to Tobago instead). I'm going to get some rest so that I will hopefully feel better tomorrow. I'm drinking lots of water, taking some amoxicillin, Advil and echinacea.

March 4 - 6:00pm

Today we were in Barbados. There is no gangway in Barbados, because it's a really ugly area where the ship docks (big cement wall blocking the view of the ocean). Which is great for us photographers! I was able to sleep in until 10:30. I could have slept in later, but when I woke up and looked at my watch the time said 2:30pm! I thought I had slept the entire day, but what actually happened is that when my alarm went off at 7:20am (the time I usually wake for gangway) I changed it to 11, but what I did instead was change the actual time. The only other clock I have with me is on my laptop, so I turned it on and realized the real time. Once my computer was on I just went online and did some of my online courses. The internet was slow (as usual) so I was only able to complete 2 (I think there's about 8-9 topics I have to complete) and one of them I only got 70% (you need 80% to pass I think) so I have to go back and redo it :(

The 2 new girls had training in the morning, then we went to the Boatyard again, this time with Alex (who was port manning last time we went there for the team activity). Everyone else wanted to sleep or do other things, so it was just the 4 of us, which was fun.

Tomorrow night is formal night, and also gangway, which means very busy day for me. There are 3 formal nights on this cruise, the first and last formal nights are on sea days, so no gangway. I hate this second formal night. This cruise compared to last cruise has been more difficult. The guests seem to be more rude in general, but there are a few guests that I enjoy talking too and they always remember my name and stop to chat, which is nice.

We're having some system/software upgrade which have been affecting our printers, so the photos aren't being printed on time. The production manager will say they'll be ready in the evening, and then when the guests come back and the photos aren't ready, we ask and he says tomorrow they will be ready, which (as you can image) is really frustrating to both the guests and the photographers who are the front line and have to deal with these guests. Another problem is that when the photos are printed, some are missing. We're trying to assist the guests in finding their photos on the wall (and I even remember taking some) but they just aren't there.

In good news, the photo department got higher than average reviews last cruise, and I even got a personal shout out from one guest. Basically at the end of each cruise, all the guests fill out comment cards and rate all the different departments. One lady (I remember who it was) said that "Heather was especially helpful" :) My manager was really impressed by this, since it was my first cruise and no one else got this kind of comment. We probably won't have a good rating this cruise because of all the problems we've been having.

Here's some more cruise lingo :)

- To "get a banana", doesn't mean someone is giving you a fruit (likewise, you can "give someone a banana") this means you're getting in trouble! I didn't understand at first, like why a banana? But someone told me it's a euphemism for getting fucked! hahah, luckily I haven't got any bananas yet ;)

Antigua!

This morning I dressed in a sailor costume to pose for the gangway photos. They wanted a "sexy sailor" haha but the costume is very unsexy (cheap polyster). It's usually a guy who dresses as the sailor, but now that we have 5 girls in the team, someone has to do it. I did my best & rocked my heart shaped sunglasses with it. I'll post a photo tomorrow when I'm in St.Lucia. I didn't go out today, it was raining off and on, so I just slept.

Oh and I met my new roommate, her name is Marita, she's from Mexico and works for the Shore Excursion department. We have only talked a bit, mostly because I only come to my cabin to sleep, shower and change my clothes. Maybe I will talk to her and see if I can get some kind of staff discount on the excursions... I'd like to do something exciting for a change. Oh and I finally got paid a few nights ago, feels nice to have money :)

Here's some more cruise ship lingo:

-Paisano: Spanish for "people from the same land" the crew uses this word a lot when they are talking about others from their country (whether guests or other crew) "my paisano" Alena & Alex are both from Belarus and the new girls Monique & Petro are from South Africa. But for me, half of the ships guests are my piasanos! There's so many Canadians on board, it's nice to have something to talk to them about :) especially the ones who wear their maple leaf pins/hats/shirts/lanyards/etc with pride (and many do!)

I'm learning so much already, I hope to brush up on my French because there are many French-speaking people onboard and I'm the only one with some basic skills.

St.Maarten

Right now I'm sipping a guava berry colada on the beach in St.Maarten... so nice!!! Me, Alena, Charlston and Fredsel took a water taxi to the Dutch side of the island and walked around a bit looking for wifi. I'm trying to complete all my competencies so I can be promoted quickly.

I thought I was so lucky to have a room to myself, but it turns out I will have a roommate afterall, from another department (Shore Excursions) I haven't met her yet, but she's supposed to be signing on today in St.Maarten. Also our new manager is signing on. Last night we had a little bit of a party in my room to celebrate my last day of being alone. I hope my new roommate is nice, and our schedules don't clash too much. Maybe after a few cruises they will find another room for her, because I'm supposed to only be with other photographers.

There are lots of ships in the port today, I counted at least 7, some of which people from my training are on (Disney Magic, Norwegian Epic, Celebrity Eclipse) , but I haven't seen anyone yet. I think this is the nicest port we have visited, maybe because I actually went somewhere father than just walking distance!

I don't have much else to say. Having lots of fun! Stay tuned for more photos and updates.