Cruise #10
Day 3/12
Rostock/Warnemunde, Germany
Sorry the updates have been sparse. I've been kinda lazy and not taking time to write my thoughts down, but in reality a lot has happened in the last week. Where to begin?
Last cruise I went on a tour in St.Petersburg, Russia to a Peter & Paul cathedral and a canal/river tour. It was a nice tour, I finally was able to see the city properly (instead of just going out to a bar, and the other 2 times I had port manning). The only down side was that I was working while on tour. Our image counts have been very low, so my manager decided to send each photographer on a tour to take photos of the guests at different places of interest. A good idea in theory, but in actuality, no one wants photos! Everyone has their own cameras, and if they want a photo together they just ask another guest to take it. So I didn't get even one single shot the whole time! To be fair, I wasn't trying so hard... I just wanted to enjoy myself. It was very awkward for me on this tour because once I got my first rejection, that was it... everyone was avoiding me and no one talked to me. I didn't feel too bad coming back without any photos though, because I wasn't the only one (a few others didn't get any photos).
In Helsinki (the day that was switched with Tallinn, so it would have been the anniversary of my missing the ship) 2 other crew members missed the ship! So now I don't feel so bad, and everyone made sure to let me know. They came back onboard in Copenhagen like me, but I'm not sure how their experience was (I heard from someone they didn't have passports with them). I didn't go out in Helsinki because I didn't want to risk missing the early sailing again.
The last day of the cruise was really stressful for me. I was having an off kinda day, and working with the other photographers and management made things worse. And of course the guests. It was either super busy or super dead, no in between. Lots of rude people, and lots of people expecting there to be a sale on the last day (one guest even waited until the next morning - after all the photos were taken down - and said they heard from someone the photos would be 75% off in the morning!).
I did very well in sales though. I had the highest in all categories except one, which made me the winner of the incentive program, giving me loads of time off this cruise. I get the highly-coveted gangway off in Stockholm (the one port we never get enough time at because of formal night), where I'm either going to go on a tour or go out on my own. I have the evening off in Helsinki (but I'm trying to change that to gangway off, I'll explain why in a bit) and I also got today, Germany, the whole evening off. I didn't have to shoot gangway either because I was sent on another one of these photo-tours (this time more successful though, I got 22 photos!). After my tour I went out with Becks to grab some lunch (bratwursts!) and use some free wifi (which got cut off after an hour) and then go to the beach, since it was so hot and sunny today. I even swam a bit int he Baltic Sea (it was really cold, but refreshing). The beach was very busy, and that;s mainly because it's the official "start of summer" here in Europe (and probably everywhere, kids out of school, etc.) and Warnemunde is a popular tourist destination for people in Germany. After the beach I did some shopping & got the most delicious ice cream cone ever.
I am really going to cherish this time off on the last Baltic cruise (next cruise we are going to Norway & the Arctic Circle!) but there is a downside to all this time off.... I'm hardly in the gallery! Which means I won't be able to sell as much this cruise. I think maybe this was done on purpose so the other photographers have a chance to sell more, but I don't think it's fair. From a business perspective, they should have the top seller in the gallery more. Tomorrow night I'm shooting casual portraits in the evening, and the night after that (Stockholm) is formal night! I shot embarkation on the first day, which means I had the evening off as well. So far in the first 5 days of the cruise I'll only have worked 7 hours total in the gallery! On a normal cruise it would be more like 25 hours.
BUT I'm not going to say anything or complain, since my managers think I do enough of that already (I honestly don't know why, I don't think I complain at all). It bothers me that I can't say how I really feel, in case they take it the wrong way (which they almost always do). Miscommunication I suppose, or maybe I just need to find a better way of communicating to them... not sure, but I can't really control the way people interpret me.
It's days like today that make me not want to come back for another contract. Since I had the evening off, I decided to come to the lab anyways to try and get some training done to become a photog 3 (which I've been bugging them for for some time now... I completed my online courses during the transAtlantic crossing quite some time ago). The managers say I need to show initiative and spend my free time learning the things I need to know. But my main manager wasn't even in the lab when I came, so there wasn't much I could do besides read the SOP binder. When my manager did arrive finally he yelled at me for not being in my evening uniform (all my dress shirts are in the laundry, but I had my jacket on so you couldn't tell what I was wearing underneath anyways). Plus I was in the lab, not the gallery, so guests wouldn't see me. Well I just happened to be talking to this one chatty guest as my manager sees me and that's when he called me in to yell at me. He told me it's my day off so I should leave, and wasn't letting me explain myself. I got really upset and just left, there's no use in arguing back, it's not going to help my case (see above about not being able to say how I feel).
Ugh, sorry, I had to let all that out. I feel this is getting too diary-ish and personal now. I probably shouldn't talk about this kinda stuff incase my managers somehow read this (since this blog is so popular with people I don't know, ha ha ha).
I have some "friendly reminder" notes that I taped to the top of my bed so I will see them every day. Here's what they say:
"Life is good"
"Be positive!"
"Watch what you say"
"No complaining"
"Eat healthy"
Hopefully my next update will be more frequent and more positive!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
back in Tallinn!
Cruise #9 (only 3 more to go!)
Day 5/12
Tallinn, Estonia
This cruise the itinerary changed a bit. We're in Tallinn instead of Helsinki (& vice versa). It's good to be back in this beautiful town! But I am getting teased a bit by my coworkers. I'm only outside the ship using the internet, not going into town today. But the internet connection keeps dropping... too many people using it I think.
Tomorrow we'll be in Russia, and during the second day there I will be going on a tour to take photos of guests. Each photographer gets a turn going on a tour, and the person who comes back with the most photos will get to go on all the tours for one month. But I don't really want to "win" because it means working during all my time off, and not having the option to sleep or go out on my own in the ports. But I am excited to go out in Russia because I've been trying to get on a tour as an escort, but never get chosen.
In Germany I went out on a tour to to Rostock which included a stop at a microbrewery (with free beer and fresh baked giant pretzels (they call them breadzels) and we got to keep the mini pint glass). After the tour we went to Hotel Neptun, a popular 5-star hotel in Warnemunde (a suburb of Rostock, where the ship docks) and had a very nice lunch. It was a good tour, I just wish we had some free time in the city center because there were many nice shops (the guide gave us only 10 minutes!)
Yesterday we were in Stockholm, Sweden, and I was shooting gangway on the helipad (the front of the ship where helicopters can land) as we were sailing into the port. It was such a beautiful view, but unfortunately it was raining. I went out for a bit but it was not a nice day. Me and Becks found a cool mall/underground shopping area, but came back to the ship to get some sleep before formal night.
Back in Amsterdam I was able to go out once again. I think it might be my last chance to do so, because of the way we rotate the schedule for shooting embarkation. I made the most of it by walking along one of the many pedestrian shopping streets, mailing some cards, buying cute pillows from Monki and eating fries on a cone! mmmmm, love those fries.
I better get back on the ship now before I teased any more.
Day 5/12
Tallinn, Estonia
This cruise the itinerary changed a bit. We're in Tallinn instead of Helsinki (& vice versa). It's good to be back in this beautiful town! But I am getting teased a bit by my coworkers. I'm only outside the ship using the internet, not going into town today. But the internet connection keeps dropping... too many people using it I think.
Tomorrow we'll be in Russia, and during the second day there I will be going on a tour to take photos of guests. Each photographer gets a turn going on a tour, and the person who comes back with the most photos will get to go on all the tours for one month. But I don't really want to "win" because it means working during all my time off, and not having the option to sleep or go out on my own in the ports. But I am excited to go out in Russia because I've been trying to get on a tour as an escort, but never get chosen.
In Germany I went out on a tour to to Rostock which included a stop at a microbrewery (with free beer and fresh baked giant pretzels (they call them breadzels) and we got to keep the mini pint glass). After the tour we went to Hotel Neptun, a popular 5-star hotel in Warnemunde (a suburb of Rostock, where the ship docks) and had a very nice lunch. It was a good tour, I just wish we had some free time in the city center because there were many nice shops (the guide gave us only 10 minutes!)
Yesterday we were in Stockholm, Sweden, and I was shooting gangway on the helipad (the front of the ship where helicopters can land) as we were sailing into the port. It was such a beautiful view, but unfortunately it was raining. I went out for a bit but it was not a nice day. Me and Becks found a cool mall/underground shopping area, but came back to the ship to get some sleep before formal night.
Back in Amsterdam I was able to go out once again. I think it might be my last chance to do so, because of the way we rotate the schedule for shooting embarkation. I made the most of it by walking along one of the many pedestrian shopping streets, mailing some cards, buying cute pillows from Monki and eating fries on a cone! mmmmm, love those fries.
I better get back on the ship now before I teased any more.
back in Tallinn!
Cruise #9 (only 3 more to go!)
Day 5/12
Tallinn, Estonia
This cruise the itinerary changed a bit. We're in Tallinn instead of Helsinki (& vice versa). It's good to be back in this beautiful town! But I am getting teased a bit by my coworkers. I'm only outside the ship using the internet, not going into town today. But the internet connection keeps dropping... too many people using it I think.
Tomorrow we'll be in Russia, and during the second day there I will be going on a tour to take photos of guests. Each photographer gets a turn going on a tour, and the person who comes back with the most photos will get to go on all the tours for one month. But I don't really want to "win" because it means working during all my time off, and not having the option to sleep or go out on my own in the ports. But I am excited to go out in Russia because I've been trying to get on a tour as an escort, but never get the chance.
In Germany I went out on a tour to to Rostock which included a stop at a microbrewery (with free beer and fresh baked giant pretzels (they call them breadzels) and we got to keep the mini pint glass). After the tour we went to Hotel Neptun, a popular 5-star hotel in Warnemunde (a suburb of Rostock, where the ship docks) and had a very nice lunch. It was a good tour, I just wish we had some free time in the city center because there were many nice shops (the guide gave us only 10 minutes!)
Yesterday we were in Stockholm, Sweden, and I was shooting gangway on the helipad (the front of the ship where helicopters can land) as we were sailing into the port. It was such a beautiful view, but unfortunately it was raining. I went out for a bit but it was not a nice day. Me and Becks found a cool mall/underground shopping area, but came back to the ship to get some sleep before formal night.
Back in Amsterdam I was able to go out once again. I think it might be my last chance to do so, because of the way we rotate the schedule for shooting embarkation. I made the most of it by walking along one of the many pedestrian shopping streets, mailing some cards, buying cute pillows from Monki and eating fries on a cone! mmmmm, love those fries.
I better get back on the ship now before I teased any more.
Day 5/12
Tallinn, Estonia
This cruise the itinerary changed a bit. We're in Tallinn instead of Helsinki (& vice versa). It's good to be back in this beautiful town! But I am getting teased a bit by my coworkers. I'm only outside the ship using the internet, not going into town today. But the internet connection keeps dropping... too many people using it I think.
Tomorrow we'll be in Russia, and during the second day there I will be going on a tour to take photos of guests. Each photographer gets a turn going on a tour, and the person who comes back with the most photos will get to go on all the tours for one month. But I don't really want to "win" because it means working during all my time off, and not having the option to sleep or go out on my own in the ports. But I am excited to go out in Russia because I've been trying to get on a tour as an escort, but never get the chance.
In Germany I went out on a tour to to Rostock which included a stop at a microbrewery (with free beer and fresh baked giant pretzels (they call them breadzels) and we got to keep the mini pint glass). After the tour we went to Hotel Neptun, a popular 5-star hotel in Warnemunde (a suburb of Rostock, where the ship docks) and had a very nice lunch. It was a good tour, I just wish we had some free time in the city center because there were many nice shops (the guide gave us only 10 minutes!)
Yesterday we were in Stockholm, Sweden, and I was shooting gangway on the helipad (the front of the ship where helicopters can land) as we were sailing into the port. It was such a beautiful view, but unfortunately it was raining. I went out for a bit but it was not a nice day. Me and Becks found a cool mall/underground shopping area, but came back to the ship to get some sleep before formal night.
Back in Amsterdam I was able to go out once again. I think it might be my last chance to do so, because of the way we rotate the schedule for shooting embarkation. I made the most of it by walking along one of the many pedestrian shopping streets, mailing some cards, buying cute pillows from Monki and eating fries on a cone! mmmmm, love those fries.
I better get back on the ship now before I teased any more.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
back onboard!
After a miserable night alone in the Riga airport (no hotels close by with vacancy, tried to sleep in the airport without much luck), I finally boarded my plane to Copenhagen at 6:50am. I got to Copenhagen around 7:45 (we went an hour back as well). Knowing that most stores would be closed (it's a Sunday), I bought a t-shirt (says "MOR SKAB"... not sure what that means, the woman roughly translated it to "something like fun"), socks & underwear. The Copenhagen airport is really nice, with lots of shops... I wish I was stuck there for 8 hours instead of Riga. I called my cousin & found my way to the Metro to meet her.
On a side note, why can't the Toronto airport have a subway connecting it to the downtown?? It must be one of the only major cities that doesn't have a proper public transportation connecting to the city.
Anyways, when I got to Katies house it was around 9am and I showered then fell asleep right away. Woke up around 1pm and had some lunch, then we went out walking around town. We went to the Little Mermaid statue, which is really close to her place, and then walked along the water front to Christiania (possibly the coolest place I've seen in all of Europe), a really cool area deemed independent from Denmark. It's a small area full of laid back people selling & smoking pot, drinking beers, hanging out, selling jewelry & shirts, listening to bands play on make-shift stages, and having lots of fun. We sat by the river and ate our muffins we got from this really good bakery called Lagkagehuset.
We were pretty exhausted from all the walking, so just headed back to Katies place, where we took another nap. Woke up & had dinner with some Carlsbergs, then called it an early night. It was nice to be able to see more of Copenhagen, and to have a visit with my cousin.
The next morning I took the first shuttle bus from town back to the ship. I arrived around 9am but had to wait about 40 minutes for the crew purser to escort me back on the ship (she was in a meeting). My photo team was on the gangway taking photos and greeted me with open arms, a nice warm welcome. My manager came outside to wait with me and we had an good lengthy talk about what happened, from my side and from his. The whole security team welcomed me back and said they were glad to see I was safe. In general, everyone has been really nice & understanding.
The thing I wasn't expecting though, is that EVERYBODY knows about what happened. I'm infamous on the ship now as "the girl who missed the ship"... people I've never talked to before are welcoming me back, it's kind of embarrassing. I was really expecting the worst, but hoping for the best... I must have a lucky horse shoe stuck up my bum, because I didn't get in much trouble as everyone thought I would. I was supposed to have a Captains hearing, where all the officers would talk to me & possibly terminate my contract, but that never happened. My photo manager gave me a written warning, which will stay on my record for 1 year, and a very serious talking.
The funny/not so funny thing is that I found out my co-worker Meng almost missed the ship as well! But she got on at the very last moment. She also got a written warning. It seems a bit odd that we would get the same punishment as me, but she didn't miss the ship. But on the other hand, she didn't have to pay to re-join the ship & go through the same experience as me. Anyways, her contract is finished now and she is leaving tomorrow. I'm going to miss her.
It feels so good to be back onboard. It felt like the longest 2 days of my life, and I actually missed everyone quite a bit. I am so grateful and feel so lucky that everything worked out the way it did. This is a story that I will never forget, and will likely be re-telling over and over again.
On a side note, why can't the Toronto airport have a subway connecting it to the downtown?? It must be one of the only major cities that doesn't have a proper public transportation connecting to the city.
Anyways, when I got to Katies house it was around 9am and I showered then fell asleep right away. Woke up around 1pm and had some lunch, then we went out walking around town. We went to the Little Mermaid statue, which is really close to her place, and then walked along the water front to Christiania (possibly the coolest place I've seen in all of Europe), a really cool area deemed independent from Denmark. It's a small area full of laid back people selling & smoking pot, drinking beers, hanging out, selling jewelry & shirts, listening to bands play on make-shift stages, and having lots of fun. We sat by the river and ate our muffins we got from this really good bakery called Lagkagehuset.
We were pretty exhausted from all the walking, so just headed back to Katies place, where we took another nap. Woke up & had dinner with some Carlsbergs, then called it an early night. It was nice to be able to see more of Copenhagen, and to have a visit with my cousin.
The next morning I took the first shuttle bus from town back to the ship. I arrived around 9am but had to wait about 40 minutes for the crew purser to escort me back on the ship (she was in a meeting). My photo team was on the gangway taking photos and greeted me with open arms, a nice warm welcome. My manager came outside to wait with me and we had an good lengthy talk about what happened, from my side and from his. The whole security team welcomed me back and said they were glad to see I was safe. In general, everyone has been really nice & understanding.
The thing I wasn't expecting though, is that EVERYBODY knows about what happened. I'm infamous on the ship now as "the girl who missed the ship"... people I've never talked to before are welcoming me back, it's kind of embarrassing. I was really expecting the worst, but hoping for the best... I must have a lucky horse shoe stuck up my bum, because I didn't get in much trouble as everyone thought I would. I was supposed to have a Captains hearing, where all the officers would talk to me & possibly terminate my contract, but that never happened. My photo manager gave me a written warning, which will stay on my record for 1 year, and a very serious talking.
The funny/not so funny thing is that I found out my co-worker Meng almost missed the ship as well! But she got on at the very last moment. She also got a written warning. It seems a bit odd that we would get the same punishment as me, but she didn't miss the ship. But on the other hand, she didn't have to pay to re-join the ship & go through the same experience as me. Anyways, her contract is finished now and she is leaving tomorrow. I'm going to miss her.
It feels so good to be back onboard. It felt like the longest 2 days of my life, and I actually missed everyone quite a bit. I am so grateful and feel so lucky that everything worked out the way it did. This is a story that I will never forget, and will likely be re-telling over and over again.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
I missed getting on my ship!!!!!!!!!!!
Where to start...
Well, I had a lovely day in Tallinn, Estonia. Last cruise I was port manning so I was unable to go out. This time I took full advantage of the internet (hence all the photos), and did a bit of shopping. I walked around the beautiful old town, with all it's winding street that all look the same after a while. I was really enjoying the time by myself. The gallery didn't open until 4pm, and I didn't work until 5pm... I wasn't thinking and just lost track of time. Usually the gallery opens at the same time we set sail, and I could have sworn the sign said "All crew onboard at 3:15". By the time 3pm hit, I looked at my watch and had a really bad feeling. "Could the ship be sailing at 3 instead of 4??" I remember last time when we sailed it felt really early. That's when it hit me, and I RAN as fast as I could to the port, getting lost along the way, starting to panic. As I got closer, I could see the ship was still there, so I felt a wave of relief. Until I saw it starting to move. I shook my head, it can't be... I must be seeing things.... Nope. I was wrong, the ship began to sail away, and all I could do was cry hysterically.
I thought for a moment, what do I have with me? Wallet with ID, bank card, Visa, 5 euros (of the 20 I borrowed from Monique) & some odd change. I had my laptop, though it only had less than 1 hour of battery left. I had the clothes on my back plus a sweater and hat (it was cold in the morning, but got extremely hot, so I'm all sweaty, especially from running). I have the things I bought that day (gifts for friends & family, chocolates, a hair clip, hair dye). I didn't have much else except my passport... thank god I have my passport!
I used my computer to email my manager and let him know what happened. He replied and said he already knew I didn't make it back, and was looking for me with binoculars. He contacted the port agent to look for me, and gave me his contact information. I used a phone from security to call the agent and he picked me up in his car and took me to his office. His name was Anton, a very nice Estonian lad. We chatted in the car, between my sobs, he told me everything will be ok. I found out that he is an aspiring photographer, but can't find any work in the field for the amount of money he feels his work is worth. I respect that. He told me that he's going to take care of booking me a flight to Copenhagen (the ship's next port) and again, not to worry.
Once at the office, I met the other agent, Ruslan, who was also very nice. He was checking for airline prices on the computer and emailing the crew admin from my ship. At first they told me they could get me on a flight leaving at 6:30pm (it was around 4 at the time). 'Perfect' I though, I'll get there in a few hours max, and then I can stay with my cousin so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. "But that flight is 600 Euros" he informs me. Ouch, that's a lot of money. Ruslan says it would be better for me to get a 50 Euro hotel in Tallinn and take a flight the next morning, which is only 300 Euros (still a lot of money!). I used their computer to email my cousin, mom and manager. Finally he came up with a better plan, sort of. "This flight is only 130 Euros!" he says enthusiastically. "It leaves tonight at 9:45pm, arrives in Riga at 10:30.... But then the flight from Riga to COpenhagen doesn't depart until 6:50am." Ugh... 8 hours waiting in the airport? I thought about it for maybe 3 seconds and said "OK" because I don't think I'll find a cheaper flight.
Long story short, I got to the Tallinn airport at 5:30pm and waited a long time for my flight. It's a really small airport with not much to do, but luckily I found a free internet kiosk so I didn't have to use my laptop battery. Finally I boarded the smallest plane I've ever been on (a propeller plane with 12 people) and took the short flight to Riga, where I currently am. I found a girl with a Mac and asked to use her charger, score! But she just left now, and I'm back to having just a little over an hour battery life. So I'm going to end this now and update you in the morning when I get to my cousins and use her computer (hopefully).
Right now my plan is to get a hotel (hopefully it's not too expensive) because I can't sit in an airport for so long... I need to get some rest because it's been a long and eventful day. When my flight arrives in Copenhagen tomorrow at 7:30am, I'm going to take the Metro to the stop near my cousins where she'll meet me.
I keep telling myself, things could be so much worse. Even though I understand the seriousness of the situation, and not looking forward to any kind of punishment once I re-join the ship... I am taking this as a mini adventure. And on the bright side, at least I'll be in Copenhagen where I know someone, and will have a day to spend time with them (since Copenhagen is always boat drill & formal night, I never get to fully see the city!). Let's hope I get enough rest tonight so that I will have energy tomorrow to do something... but not too much rest that I miss my flight!!! I've learned my lesson, and I will never be late (for anything) ever again.
Just remember that I'm safe and everything will be alright.
Well, I had a lovely day in Tallinn, Estonia. Last cruise I was port manning so I was unable to go out. This time I took full advantage of the internet (hence all the photos), and did a bit of shopping. I walked around the beautiful old town, with all it's winding street that all look the same after a while. I was really enjoying the time by myself. The gallery didn't open until 4pm, and I didn't work until 5pm... I wasn't thinking and just lost track of time. Usually the gallery opens at the same time we set sail, and I could have sworn the sign said "All crew onboard at 3:15". By the time 3pm hit, I looked at my watch and had a really bad feeling. "Could the ship be sailing at 3 instead of 4??" I remember last time when we sailed it felt really early. That's when it hit me, and I RAN as fast as I could to the port, getting lost along the way, starting to panic. As I got closer, I could see the ship was still there, so I felt a wave of relief. Until I saw it starting to move. I shook my head, it can't be... I must be seeing things.... Nope. I was wrong, the ship began to sail away, and all I could do was cry hysterically.
I thought for a moment, what do I have with me? Wallet with ID, bank card, Visa, 5 euros (of the 20 I borrowed from Monique) & some odd change. I had my laptop, though it only had less than 1 hour of battery left. I had the clothes on my back plus a sweater and hat (it was cold in the morning, but got extremely hot, so I'm all sweaty, especially from running). I have the things I bought that day (gifts for friends & family, chocolates, a hair clip, hair dye). I didn't have much else except my passport... thank god I have my passport!
I used my computer to email my manager and let him know what happened. He replied and said he already knew I didn't make it back, and was looking for me with binoculars. He contacted the port agent to look for me, and gave me his contact information. I used a phone from security to call the agent and he picked me up in his car and took me to his office. His name was Anton, a very nice Estonian lad. We chatted in the car, between my sobs, he told me everything will be ok. I found out that he is an aspiring photographer, but can't find any work in the field for the amount of money he feels his work is worth. I respect that. He told me that he's going to take care of booking me a flight to Copenhagen (the ship's next port) and again, not to worry.
Once at the office, I met the other agent, Ruslan, who was also very nice. He was checking for airline prices on the computer and emailing the crew admin from my ship. At first they told me they could get me on a flight leaving at 6:30pm (it was around 4 at the time). 'Perfect' I though, I'll get there in a few hours max, and then I can stay with my cousin so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. "But that flight is 600 Euros" he informs me. Ouch, that's a lot of money. Ruslan says it would be better for me to get a 50 Euro hotel in Tallinn and take a flight the next morning, which is only 300 Euros (still a lot of money!). I used their computer to email my cousin, mom and manager. Finally he came up with a better plan, sort of. "This flight is only 130 Euros!" he says enthusiastically. "It leaves tonight at 9:45pm, arrives in Riga at 10:30.... But then the flight from Riga to COpenhagen doesn't depart until 6:50am." Ugh... 8 hours waiting in the airport? I thought about it for maybe 3 seconds and said "OK" because I don't think I'll find a cheaper flight.
Long story short, I got to the Tallinn airport at 5:30pm and waited a long time for my flight. It's a really small airport with not much to do, but luckily I found a free internet kiosk so I didn't have to use my laptop battery. Finally I boarded the smallest plane I've ever been on (a propeller plane with 12 people) and took the short flight to Riga, where I currently am. I found a girl with a Mac and asked to use her charger, score! But she just left now, and I'm back to having just a little over an hour battery life. So I'm going to end this now and update you in the morning when I get to my cousins and use her computer (hopefully).
Right now my plan is to get a hotel (hopefully it's not too expensive) because I can't sit in an airport for so long... I need to get some rest because it's been a long and eventful day. When my flight arrives in Copenhagen tomorrow at 7:30am, I'm going to take the Metro to the stop near my cousins where she'll meet me.
I keep telling myself, things could be so much worse. Even though I understand the seriousness of the situation, and not looking forward to any kind of punishment once I re-join the ship... I am taking this as a mini adventure. And on the bright side, at least I'll be in Copenhagen where I know someone, and will have a day to spend time with them (since Copenhagen is always boat drill & formal night, I never get to fully see the city!). Let's hope I get enough rest tonight so that I will have energy tomorrow to do something... but not too much rest that I miss my flight!!! I've learned my lesson, and I will never be late (for anything) ever again.
Just remember that I'm safe and everything will be alright.
PICTURE TIME!
From the Transatlantic Crossing:
PONTA DELGADA, AZORES
LISBON, PORTUGAL
LE HAVRE & PARIS, FRANCE
DOVER, ENGLAND
From the Baltic:
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
WARNEMUNDE, GERMANY
(these pendants are made from cut-outs of different coins, super amazing!)
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
HELSINKI, FINLAND
ST.PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
TALLINN, ESTONIA
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
PONTA DELGADA, AZORES
LISBON, PORTUGAL
LE HAVRE & PARIS, FRANCE
DOVER, ENGLAND
From the Baltic:
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
WARNEMUNDE, GERMANY
(these pendants are made from cut-outs of different coins, super amazing!)
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
HELSINKI, FINLAND
ST.PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
TALLINN, ESTONIA
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Friday, June 10, 2011
update
Cruise #8
Day 8/12
St.Petersburg, Russia
The second time around in the Baltic is going good. The weather this cruise is much better than last cruise... it actually feels like summer now. I went out in Germany with Becks and Petro. We mostly just walked around Warnemunde, the port town just outside Rostock, got some ice cream & coffee and did a little bit of shopping. We made sure to stay clear of any local produce because of this e.coli outbreak that originated from northern Germany. I did see lots of street vendors selling fruits and vegetables though, one man yelling "come and buy my sexy strawberries" haha. We found a beach that looked really busy, if the weather is good next cruise I plan on going there (although I bet the water will be nothing like the Caribbean).
Stockholm was the next port, but since it's formal night, I decided to just stay in an sleep. I went out in Helsinki though, found a good area for shopping and bought myself a new dress. I discovered this cool store called Monki, I didn't buy anything but I wanna go back when I have more time.
I signed up for a tour in Russia, but I didn't get it. Hopefully next time though. In the evening the whole photo team went out for dinner at the main restaurant, San Marco. This is the restaurant we take photos in during formal nights. It was weird to be served by the waiters rather than getting rude looks/comments for being in their way. Dinner was really nice, I had a spinach puff pastry thing for an appetizer, caesar salad, roast turkey with stuffing, candied sweet potatoes and green beans (I was going to get a steak or filet mignon, but I've been craving this kind of meal for a while!) and for dessert I had some tropical frozen yogurt.. oh and also a strawberry daiquiri, amaretto sour and bailey's coffee :) It was all paid for by our company as our monthly team activity, but really wasn't much (no cover charge, just tip & beverages... I think it came to $50 + another $50 for tip... for 10 people, not bad!)
After dinner some of us had to work in the gallery (not me!) and the rest went to sleep. Around midnight we all met up again to party in the Reflections Lounge, where there was a party to celebrate the good ratings we had last cruise. It wasn't so busy (I think because many people went out in Russia overnight), but I was port manning, so couldn't go out anyways. I had a good time, and was able to sleep the whole morning/afternoon (it's 4:30 now, just woke up a while ago :)
I'm really looking forward to the next port (Tallinn, Estonia) because of the free wifi you can access on the ship from the terminal. Not many people knew about it last time, but I'm sure this time it will be really busy with everyone using it. I was port manning last Tallinn, so I'm looking forward to going out to see the town. After a sea day, we'll arrive in Copenhagen and my cousin Katie is going to come onboard for a visit. Hopefully we wont have a boat drill like last time. I'm going to take her to the Bistro on 5 for lunch, and show her around. If we have time maybe we can go into town together, but since it's formal night... probably not.
My roommate Claudia is really nice, we get along well. The only thing is that she snores (not very loud though), and sometimes she talks to herself. My room is feeling much smaller, especially with her big luggage, but I'm getting use to it. She seems to be fitting in well at work and on the ship. She's already made some friends and guys keep on calling for her. I'm going to miss Meng (or Evelyn, not sure which I refer to her as) who is leaving at the end of this cruise. But we just found out that when I leave, she'll be coming back as my replacement! I only have 2 more cruises in the Baltic, and then 2 cruises in Norway/the Arctic Circle and then I'm homeward bound!
As the Captain would say, ciao for now!
Day 8/12
St.Petersburg, Russia
The second time around in the Baltic is going good. The weather this cruise is much better than last cruise... it actually feels like summer now. I went out in Germany with Becks and Petro. We mostly just walked around Warnemunde, the port town just outside Rostock, got some ice cream & coffee and did a little bit of shopping. We made sure to stay clear of any local produce because of this e.coli outbreak that originated from northern Germany. I did see lots of street vendors selling fruits and vegetables though, one man yelling "come and buy my sexy strawberries" haha. We found a beach that looked really busy, if the weather is good next cruise I plan on going there (although I bet the water will be nothing like the Caribbean).
Stockholm was the next port, but since it's formal night, I decided to just stay in an sleep. I went out in Helsinki though, found a good area for shopping and bought myself a new dress. I discovered this cool store called Monki, I didn't buy anything but I wanna go back when I have more time.
I signed up for a tour in Russia, but I didn't get it. Hopefully next time though. In the evening the whole photo team went out for dinner at the main restaurant, San Marco. This is the restaurant we take photos in during formal nights. It was weird to be served by the waiters rather than getting rude looks/comments for being in their way. Dinner was really nice, I had a spinach puff pastry thing for an appetizer, caesar salad, roast turkey with stuffing, candied sweet potatoes and green beans (I was going to get a steak or filet mignon, but I've been craving this kind of meal for a while!) and for dessert I had some tropical frozen yogurt.. oh and also a strawberry daiquiri, amaretto sour and bailey's coffee :) It was all paid for by our company as our monthly team activity, but really wasn't much (no cover charge, just tip & beverages... I think it came to $50 + another $50 for tip... for 10 people, not bad!)
After dinner some of us had to work in the gallery (not me!) and the rest went to sleep. Around midnight we all met up again to party in the Reflections Lounge, where there was a party to celebrate the good ratings we had last cruise. It wasn't so busy (I think because many people went out in Russia overnight), but I was port manning, so couldn't go out anyways. I had a good time, and was able to sleep the whole morning/afternoon (it's 4:30 now, just woke up a while ago :)
I'm really looking forward to the next port (Tallinn, Estonia) because of the free wifi you can access on the ship from the terminal. Not many people knew about it last time, but I'm sure this time it will be really busy with everyone using it. I was port manning last Tallinn, so I'm looking forward to going out to see the town. After a sea day, we'll arrive in Copenhagen and my cousin Katie is going to come onboard for a visit. Hopefully we wont have a boat drill like last time. I'm going to take her to the Bistro on 5 for lunch, and show her around. If we have time maybe we can go into town together, but since it's formal night... probably not.
My roommate Claudia is really nice, we get along well. The only thing is that she snores (not very loud though), and sometimes she talks to herself. My room is feeling much smaller, especially with her big luggage, but I'm getting use to it. She seems to be fitting in well at work and on the ship. She's already made some friends and guys keep on calling for her. I'm going to miss Meng (or Evelyn, not sure which I refer to her as) who is leaving at the end of this cruise. But we just found out that when I leave, she'll be coming back as my replacement! I only have 2 more cruises in the Baltic, and then 2 cruises in Norway/the Arctic Circle and then I'm homeward bound!
As the Captain would say, ciao for now!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Another cruise....
Cruise #8
Day 1/12
Amsterdam
Welcome again to another cruise. Today I am getting a new roommate! A girl from Jamaica named Claudia. I have a pretty good schedule that let's me go out in Amsterdam in the morning with Becks, so I'm really looking forward to that.
Catching up on what I've missed writing about.... Overnight in Russia was fun, very little work to do, lots of time off (just worked in the morning one day and the evening the next day). I went out to a bar/club with 2 people from my team. It was so cool to go out at night time for the first time in 4 months. The bar had lots of locals, and everyone spoke Russian, but we managed to get some drinks (was expensive though! well, similar to back home ($6 for Heineken) but I've been spoiled with the cheap drinks in the staff bar). There were lots of girls (bartenders) dancing on the bar, and even stripping throughout the night... kinda odd, but I guess par for the course in Russia, I duno.
The sun sets really late in the Baltic (around 11pm) and rises really early (about 4am), so when we went out at midnight and came back at 3:30am, it looked the same outside... very weird feeling. I spent the whole day sleeping (and the day before also)... such a nice feeling! This cruise I won't be able to go out at night because of overnight port manning, but I'm going to try and get on a tour during one of the days.
After Russia was Estonia, which I was port manning in. I slept mostly, and used some free internet which you could access on the ship from the port terminal (score!) but I didn't know about it until 1hr before sailing away, so I was able to upload some photos to Facebook, but some photos I haden't resized yet, so I couldn't.
That night (I think it was that night?) we went out to the Martini bar after work for some birthday drinks with a nice Swedish guy from the a cappella group onboard. He just turned 21, so he can drink on board the ship (even though the drinking age in Sweden is 18). Becks knew the bartender and he gave us all free drinks (we got really drunk, I was so hungover the next day). It was fun and something different than the crew bar for a change... but probably not doing that again.
After Estonia was Copenhagen!! Probably my favourite city I've been to in this itinerary. Such a nice place... and of course I got to see 2 of my cousins (one who is studying abroad there and the other was visiting). I had work in the morning, and then a (stupid) emergency boat drill, so I didn't get into town until close to noon. Met with the girls and then went to the post office (I've had stuff to mail accumulating since the Caribbean!). 1 heavy box, 3 smaller packages, 1 letter with a magnet inside and 8 postcards cost me 746 Danish Kroners.... almost $150!!!!! I couldn't believe it was so expensive, but if I didn't mail it then, I don't know when I would, so I just paid it. After that we went out to lunch to this nice place with open-faced sandwiches. They had really odd combinations of things, mostly seafood, so instead of being adventurous I just got a caesar salad (which tasted really fishy too). After lunch we walked around downtown for a bit. I saw the famous Nyhavn canal/area, Opera house & Play house, the main shopping areas (bought some postcards & magnets) and then it was time for me to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Since it was formal night, I had to be back by 3pm to start setting up studios :(
Our image counts haven't been so good since leaving the Caribbean, so now we have 6 studios instead of 5, which means more work! Right now we have 7 photographers (because the new girl arrived) but next cruise Meng is leaving, so we'll be back to 6. Tomorrow is formal night again (already), but I'm looking forward to this cruise, I have a good feeling about it.
Now that I know about the free internet, I'll make sure to have all my photos ready to upload, and post some on here as well.
By the way, I have about 4 different currencies on me: US dollars, Euros, Swedish Krona & Danish Krone (& if I go out in Russia I will also need Rubles... luckily the bar took US$ & Eruos). AND that's not even counting the coins I have (East Caribbean Dollars, Aruba Dollars, Pounds and Canadian!). It sucks having to change your money from US (what I get paid in) to Euros (& others... why can't they all just use Euros!?)... but luckily there is an exchange office for crew with decent rates. But Europe is expensive! I need to stop spending money or else I won't even be able to afford my plane ticket home. But today is payday :) looking forward to it.
Day 1/12
Amsterdam
Welcome again to another cruise. Today I am getting a new roommate! A girl from Jamaica named Claudia. I have a pretty good schedule that let's me go out in Amsterdam in the morning with Becks, so I'm really looking forward to that.
Catching up on what I've missed writing about.... Overnight in Russia was fun, very little work to do, lots of time off (just worked in the morning one day and the evening the next day). I went out to a bar/club with 2 people from my team. It was so cool to go out at night time for the first time in 4 months. The bar had lots of locals, and everyone spoke Russian, but we managed to get some drinks (was expensive though! well, similar to back home ($6 for Heineken) but I've been spoiled with the cheap drinks in the staff bar). There were lots of girls (bartenders) dancing on the bar, and even stripping throughout the night... kinda odd, but I guess par for the course in Russia, I duno.
The sun sets really late in the Baltic (around 11pm) and rises really early (about 4am), so when we went out at midnight and came back at 3:30am, it looked the same outside... very weird feeling. I spent the whole day sleeping (and the day before also)... such a nice feeling! This cruise I won't be able to go out at night because of overnight port manning, but I'm going to try and get on a tour during one of the days.
After Russia was Estonia, which I was port manning in. I slept mostly, and used some free internet which you could access on the ship from the port terminal (score!) but I didn't know about it until 1hr before sailing away, so I was able to upload some photos to Facebook, but some photos I haden't resized yet, so I couldn't.
That night (I think it was that night?) we went out to the Martini bar after work for some birthday drinks with a nice Swedish guy from the a cappella group onboard. He just turned 21, so he can drink on board the ship (even though the drinking age in Sweden is 18). Becks knew the bartender and he gave us all free drinks (we got really drunk, I was so hungover the next day). It was fun and something different than the crew bar for a change... but probably not doing that again.
After Estonia was Copenhagen!! Probably my favourite city I've been to in this itinerary. Such a nice place... and of course I got to see 2 of my cousins (one who is studying abroad there and the other was visiting). I had work in the morning, and then a (stupid) emergency boat drill, so I didn't get into town until close to noon. Met with the girls and then went to the post office (I've had stuff to mail accumulating since the Caribbean!). 1 heavy box, 3 smaller packages, 1 letter with a magnet inside and 8 postcards cost me 746 Danish Kroners.... almost $150!!!!! I couldn't believe it was so expensive, but if I didn't mail it then, I don't know when I would, so I just paid it. After that we went out to lunch to this nice place with open-faced sandwiches. They had really odd combinations of things, mostly seafood, so instead of being adventurous I just got a caesar salad (which tasted really fishy too). After lunch we walked around downtown for a bit. I saw the famous Nyhavn canal/area, Opera house & Play house, the main shopping areas (bought some postcards & magnets) and then it was time for me to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Since it was formal night, I had to be back by 3pm to start setting up studios :(
Our image counts haven't been so good since leaving the Caribbean, so now we have 6 studios instead of 5, which means more work! Right now we have 7 photographers (because the new girl arrived) but next cruise Meng is leaving, so we'll be back to 6. Tomorrow is formal night again (already), but I'm looking forward to this cruise, I have a good feeling about it.
Now that I know about the free internet, I'll make sure to have all my photos ready to upload, and post some on here as well.
By the way, I have about 4 different currencies on me: US dollars, Euros, Swedish Krona & Danish Krone (& if I go out in Russia I will also need Rubles... luckily the bar took US$ & Eruos). AND that's not even counting the coins I have (East Caribbean Dollars, Aruba Dollars, Pounds and Canadian!). It sucks having to change your money from US (what I get paid in) to Euros (& others... why can't they all just use Euros!?)... but luckily there is an exchange office for crew with decent rates. But Europe is expensive! I need to stop spending money or else I won't even be able to afford my plane ticket home. But today is payday :) looking forward to it.
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