What an incredible 6 weeks it's been so far! Just as I suspected, time is just flying by here on the Voyager.
This week we have the install team for the Dreamworks parade onboard, they are here to ensure everything needed for the parade in terms of props and costumes gets loaded on properly and has a place to live onboard the ship. The costumes for Dreamworks are massive and in most instances there are more than one per character as one is reserved solely for parades and the other is to be used for all other Dreamworks character events around the ship. As well there has been a lot of worked involved with removing the previous parade, Party Around the World. Everything from that parade has been all packed up and is ready to be landed when we reach New Orleans for the last time on Saturday.
Speaking of our last time in New Orleans, we will be setting sail at 9pm with a massive party up on the pool deck in place of the usual welcome aboard show. This will be a great final sail-away from NOLA and we are all looking forward to it. The 6 week repositioning cruise to Asia will be long and challenging but so far it looks like everything is coming together nicely in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.
This past week we had FUNA and LCL Engineering onboard to install our new Barco projector for our upcoming Dreamworks 3D movie experience. We are all really looking forward to this new offering and so far we have only been able to watch short 2-3 minute trailers on the new system and are already blown away. It is quite remarkable how few pieces of hardware were really needed in order to upgrade our existing sound system to Dolby 7.1 surround sound, and add the 3D projector. Our new projector is the Barco DP2K-20C with Dolby 3D installed. The projector itself is large but still remarkably small for the image it produces. We were able to install it alongside our existing Christie projector and still have room for ventilation and whatnot. An interesting fact is that the 3D color wheel needed to produce a 3D image actually reduces the brightness of the projector output quite a bit. For that reason, this projector is actually overly bright when watching regular 2D content but since 3D content will be played the majority of the time, the extra brightness offsets the difference created by the 3D color wheel. The resulting image and sound is simply unbelievable and has breathed some new life into our 13 year old La Scala theatre.
Around the ship, lots of other changes are underway as well. Currently the Deck 4 outdoor promenade is receiving a new floor surface installation (same as was installed during the Explorer drydock when I was there) and all rooms are receving new LED flat-panel TVs. Coming up in the next couple of days the casino will also begin undergoing a huge revitalization.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Getting packed and ready to head back
Just another day packing to leave for a 6-month contract. It's never fun nor is it easy. I've learned from my many years of travel with my family since I was a child not to over-pack and to really consider each and every thing I'm going to bring. Unfortunately packing for half a year is not that easy. Often one must pack clothes for multiple seasons, for work and for relaxation, and many more little bits and pieces than would be needed for, say, a 1-week vacation. Luckily I did leave a rather large box on the ship full of my belongings but I still always bring home anything meaningful that will fit in my luggage, in case my contract were to get changed or something prevented me from coming back to the ship (you just never know). Of course, then I still have to pack up all that stuff and bring it back to the ship with me. It really gets to be an ordeal trying to sort everything out. For me, the clothes are not the problem, it's the electronics. Being the geek that I am, when away from home for months at a time, I of course need an entire arsenal of electronic gadgets and whatnot, not to mention small bits like the chargers for said electronics, any medications I think I might need over the course of 6 months, my tools, and any number of other things. I think I'm about 75% packed right now. It's getting easier with each contract but I hate it just as much every time.
It's been a very busy vacation for me. For starters, being home for Christmas was great. Then I went for a week trip to Aruba with my family to stay at our timeshare which was awesome. If you get a chance to visit Aruba for New Years', do it. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. I also visited my friend in North Carolina and we took a road trip down to Florida to go to Disney World and Busch Gardens.
Other than those two trips, much of my time has been spent installing a new smart home system in my mom's newly-renovated house. This involved installation of security, lighting control, multi-zone audio, surveillance cameras, controllers, and all the wiring and programming necessary to tie it all together. I can safely say that I've almost been working as hard at home as I would be on the ship. It's been interesting though and a means of keeping myself occupied. Gotta do something for 2 months to keep your brain from melting into mush due to non-use :).
Tomorrow at the crack of dawn I will be flying back to New Orleans, via Atlanta, to re-join Voyager of the Seas on Saturday morning. I have the day in New Orleans from about noon onwards to explore, of which I fully intend to take advantage. All I have explored of New Orleans previously is the Walmart, Starbucks, and the mall at the cruise terminal. Shameful, really. But with nearly a full day to explore (and more importantly the evening, which I don't get when I'm on the ship), I think I can cover some more interesting territory. I will hopefully be joined by one of my co-workers from the ship, Evan, who is coincidentally re-joining the ship the same day that I am, after a week of leave due to family reasons at home. Should be a good day in NO. I just hope the weather isn't so bad in Toronto that my flight gets cancelled or something, it's supposed to be a rather crappy day weather-wise tomorrow.
This contract promises to be the most interesting one so far. Starting on April 14, Voyager of the Seas will begin a series of 3 two-week cruises to cover the distance from New Orleans to Singapore. Itinerary for the crossing cruises:
New Orleans, USA (turnaround port)
I can't wait for these transition cruises, followed by the actual voyages within Asia of which there are many different itineraries and I will post those later on closer to the date. If you're really interested in knowing, a quick search on Royal Caribbean's website will get you the info.
Alright, I think that's a sufficient update for the moment. Time to get back to packing.
It's been a very busy vacation for me. For starters, being home for Christmas was great. Then I went for a week trip to Aruba with my family to stay at our timeshare which was awesome. If you get a chance to visit Aruba for New Years', do it. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. I also visited my friend in North Carolina and we took a road trip down to Florida to go to Disney World and Busch Gardens.
Other than those two trips, much of my time has been spent installing a new smart home system in my mom's newly-renovated house. This involved installation of security, lighting control, multi-zone audio, surveillance cameras, controllers, and all the wiring and programming necessary to tie it all together. I can safely say that I've almost been working as hard at home as I would be on the ship. It's been interesting though and a means of keeping myself occupied. Gotta do something for 2 months to keep your brain from melting into mush due to non-use :).
Tomorrow at the crack of dawn I will be flying back to New Orleans, via Atlanta, to re-join Voyager of the Seas on Saturday morning. I have the day in New Orleans from about noon onwards to explore, of which I fully intend to take advantage. All I have explored of New Orleans previously is the Walmart, Starbucks, and the mall at the cruise terminal. Shameful, really. But with nearly a full day to explore (and more importantly the evening, which I don't get when I'm on the ship), I think I can cover some more interesting territory. I will hopefully be joined by one of my co-workers from the ship, Evan, who is coincidentally re-joining the ship the same day that I am, after a week of leave due to family reasons at home. Should be a good day in NO. I just hope the weather isn't so bad in Toronto that my flight gets cancelled or something, it's supposed to be a rather crappy day weather-wise tomorrow.
This contract promises to be the most interesting one so far. Starting on April 14, Voyager of the Seas will begin a series of 3 two-week cruises to cover the distance from New Orleans to Singapore. Itinerary for the crossing cruises:
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Ponta Delgada, Azores
- Malaga, Spain
- Cartagena, Spain
- Valencia, Spain
- Alexandria, Egypt
- passage through the Suez Canal
- Aqaba, Jordan
- Safaga, Egypt
- Goa, India
- Cochin, India
- Penang, Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Singapore
I can't wait for these transition cruises, followed by the actual voyages within Asia of which there are many different itineraries and I will post those later on closer to the date. If you're really interested in knowing, a quick search on Royal Caribbean's website will get you the info.
Alright, I think that's a sufficient update for the moment. Time to get back to packing.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Home for Christmas
Well, my 3rd contract has come to an end and I am now at home and have been enjoying spending Christmas with my family (I was at sea during Christmas for the past two years). Christmas/New Years is a difficult time for all crewmembers on ships and I feel very lucky to be home at this time. It will probably be another 3-5 years before I can do it again.
I'm keeping myself busy at home installing an HAI smart home system in my mom's newly-renovated house. It involves using my technical skills which helps keep my mind occupied and that way I won't get too bored during my vacation which does sometimes happen.
Truly looking forward to my next contract, which will begin February 25. I know I have been slacking off in writing new posts but that is largely due to the fact that there is very little to write about because everything's been the same as every other contract. However, since the Voyager of the Seas will transit to Asia during my next contract I think there will be lots of news and both the transit and the new itineraries in Asia will provide lots of new experiences to write about. Also in conjunction with the move there will be a massive crew changeover to accommodate the language needs in Asia, in addition to many changes all over the ship in the products and services offered in order to meet the needs of our new demographic. It's going to be a fun ride. I think with so much going on, my next contract is going to fly by...
I'm keeping myself busy at home installing an HAI smart home system in my mom's newly-renovated house. It involves using my technical skills which helps keep my mind occupied and that way I won't get too bored during my vacation which does sometimes happen.
Truly looking forward to my next contract, which will begin February 25. I know I have been slacking off in writing new posts but that is largely due to the fact that there is very little to write about because everything's been the same as every other contract. However, since the Voyager of the Seas will transit to Asia during my next contract I think there will be lots of news and both the transit and the new itineraries in Asia will provide lots of new experiences to write about. Also in conjunction with the move there will be a massive crew changeover to accommodate the language needs in Asia, in addition to many changes all over the ship in the products and services offered in order to meet the needs of our new demographic. It's going to be a fun ride. I think with so much going on, my next contract is going to fly by...
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Nice day in New Orleans
This morning I am in New Orleans at the New Orleans Convention Centre sipping some Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate and enjoying all the free wi-fi I can get. It's been far too long since I was on a proper Internet connection.
There has been lots going on recently but the biggest news is the Martina McBride concert taking place on Voyager of the Seas today. We loaded in a ton of equipment for them on Nov. 12 and 3 of their techs sailed with us during the last cruise so that they could set up overnight last night for the concert. Among their gear we had to carry a 900lb analog console from the stage to the sound booth, along with 2 effects racks. This begs the question-- why not just use our beautiful DiGiCo D5 Live console which is already there and available? It is digital, has double the number of channels, can do all the things those FX racks can do, and it is right there and waiting. But no, instead a massive wooden coffin was constructed around our very nice console in order to put this 900 lb beast on top. I'm just hoping that the thing doesn't collapse...
Should be a very interesting event. Apparently there will be free admission to all Crown & Anchor members which is a very nice treat/surprise for them. We will also be simulcasting the event in Studio B and as far as I understand that will be open to all guests. Myself, I simply hope to find room for myself at the back of the house so that I can keep an eye on everything. Sure they brought their own techs and what not but as Head Sound & Light I probably have a duty to be on hand in case I'm needed...
Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed last cruise, got off for lunch in both Cozumel and Grand Cayman, which was great and I expect to do so again this cruise. From what I have heard there is still very little for crew to do in Falmouth, Jamaica so I will continue to refrain from visiting there.
There is a lot more I could say right now but Wal-Mart is calling me so I must be going. I will try to post a few more updates before the end of this contract. Only 4 more cruises to go! Then I will be home with my family and actually being home for Christmas this year which will be a nice change.
There has been lots going on recently but the biggest news is the Martina McBride concert taking place on Voyager of the Seas today. We loaded in a ton of equipment for them on Nov. 12 and 3 of their techs sailed with us during the last cruise so that they could set up overnight last night for the concert. Among their gear we had to carry a 900lb analog console from the stage to the sound booth, along with 2 effects racks. This begs the question-- why not just use our beautiful DiGiCo D5 Live console which is already there and available? It is digital, has double the number of channels, can do all the things those FX racks can do, and it is right there and waiting. But no, instead a massive wooden coffin was constructed around our very nice console in order to put this 900 lb beast on top. I'm just hoping that the thing doesn't collapse...
Should be a very interesting event. Apparently there will be free admission to all Crown & Anchor members which is a very nice treat/surprise for them. We will also be simulcasting the event in Studio B and as far as I understand that will be open to all guests. Myself, I simply hope to find room for myself at the back of the house so that I can keep an eye on everything. Sure they brought their own techs and what not but as Head Sound & Light I probably have a duty to be on hand in case I'm needed...
Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed last cruise, got off for lunch in both Cozumel and Grand Cayman, which was great and I expect to do so again this cruise. From what I have heard there is still very little for crew to do in Falmouth, Jamaica so I will continue to refrain from visiting there.
There is a lot more I could say right now but Wal-Mart is calling me so I must be going. I will try to post a few more updates before the end of this contract. Only 4 more cruises to go! Then I will be home with my family and actually being home for Christmas this year which will be a nice change.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Another cast install
This has been a rather hectic month so far. To start with, 3 weeks ago we had our annual DNV audit. DNV is the company that certifies Royal Caribbean ships as being safe to sail. Only a few minor things came up in the production areas as issues and we were luckily able to fix them right away, but there were other areas of the ship where more work was needed. Nonetheless everybody worked hard to get everything resolved all over the ship and actually we did very well overall. The week after was our SQM audit. SQM is our internal regulatory system which governs how we operate internally as a company so they look at many of the same things as the DNV guys, with an added focus on overall management of the ship and how well we comply to company policies. Once again there were a few issues here and there, but overall everybody did quite well. At the same time SQM auditors came onboard, the new ice cast also arrived to start rehearsing Ice Odyssey for two weeks.
Now this week, I have my mother and a family friend visiting, while at the same time we have cast install ongoing, and also a large group who are using the theatre and/or pool deck almost every night for an event. It's just been crazy and it's not going to get better right away either. Next week we have a certain important person coming onboard and while I will not say who it is for their own privacy, suffice to say that it is an individual that is very important when it comes to Royal Caribbean's ice shows in particular. I have to work extra hard to make sure that all of my lights are in absolutely perfect order for next week. On top of that, next week we also have our next Lounge Technician coming onboard who is a re-hire (thank goodness) will have a one-week handover before our current Lounge tech signs off at the end of the week. Next week we will also have a new cruise director starting. All of this had made it a bit of an unfortunate time for my mom to be onboard because I cannot be away from work as much as I maybe could at other times of my contract. However, I have still managed to get away enough to visit Ravenna with her yesterday as well as eat dinner in the Dining Room. The second half of the week should be a bit better, except for the many ice show rehearsals that will be going and and will definitely get in the way a bit.
Only 80 days left til my vacation (by my estimate). So far I do not have a definitive replacement/sign-off date but I can definitely feel the difference in the length of this contract compared to the last one which I had extended by 5-6 weeks.
Also, anyone looking to cruise Asia next year needs to book NOW. My mom just booked her two cruises for next year and apparently the cabins are already slim pickings even though the Voyager Asia cruises opened up for bookings only 3 weeks ago or so.
Now this week, I have my mother and a family friend visiting, while at the same time we have cast install ongoing, and also a large group who are using the theatre and/or pool deck almost every night for an event. It's just been crazy and it's not going to get better right away either. Next week we have a certain important person coming onboard and while I will not say who it is for their own privacy, suffice to say that it is an individual that is very important when it comes to Royal Caribbean's ice shows in particular. I have to work extra hard to make sure that all of my lights are in absolutely perfect order for next week. On top of that, next week we also have our next Lounge Technician coming onboard who is a re-hire (thank goodness) will have a one-week handover before our current Lounge tech signs off at the end of the week. Next week we will also have a new cruise director starting. All of this had made it a bit of an unfortunate time for my mom to be onboard because I cannot be away from work as much as I maybe could at other times of my contract. However, I have still managed to get away enough to visit Ravenna with her yesterday as well as eat dinner in the Dining Room. The second half of the week should be a bit better, except for the many ice show rehearsals that will be going and and will definitely get in the way a bit.
Only 80 days left til my vacation (by my estimate). So far I do not have a definitive replacement/sign-off date but I can definitely feel the difference in the length of this contract compared to the last one which I had extended by 5-6 weeks.
Also, anyone looking to cruise Asia next year needs to book NOW. My mom just booked her two cruises for next year and apparently the cabins are already slim pickings even though the Voyager Asia cruises opened up for bookings only 3 weeks ago or so.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Time is Flying By...
I can't believe I'm already halfway through this contract. The past month or so has been quite busy for me. I received my new Road Hog console Aug. 13, so I spent the following 3 days working very hard on getting the rest of the showfile converted and was able to start using the new console that same week for shows. Since then,. I haven't had a single problem and programming anything has been a breeze.
As expected, I also ended up being promoted to Head Sound & Light technician, also on August 13. A few extra responsibilities and a bit more pay but otherwise nothing has changed. Things seem to be running smoothly so far though.
Itineraries for Asia have now been released internally so while I cannot say right now what is going to be available, I will say that there is going to be a lot of variety and we are going to be very busy I am sure as some cruises are as short as 3 days and as long as 7 so the schedule will be constantly changing and it is going to be a big undertaking to make sure that everyone is in the right places at the right times for shows and events all around the ship.
As expected, I also ended up being promoted to Head Sound & Light technician, also on August 13. A few extra responsibilities and a bit more pay but otherwise nothing has changed. Things seem to be running smoothly so far though.
Itineraries for Asia have now been released internally so while I cannot say right now what is going to be available, I will say that there is going to be a lot of variety and we are going to be very busy I am sure as some cruises are as short as 3 days and as long as 7 so the schedule will be constantly changing and it is going to be a big undertaking to make sure that everyone is in the right places at the right times for shows and events all around the ship.
Monday, July 25, 2011
A new toy is on the way...
I can't believe I haven't written anything in over a month... I guess nothing overly exciting has happened. Since my last post I have accepted an offer from our personnel scheduler to come back to the Voyager of the Seas for the Asia season in 2012, I am supposed to join on or around Feb. 18. This would mean I should be home for both Christmas and my birthday which would be really great. Also, when I return I will be in the theatre which is good news because as much as I love Studio B and the Ice Odyssey show, I will probably be pretty bored of it come the end of this contract. It will also give me more chances to program shows since I will be programming guest entertainer shows in the theatre.
My lighting console in Studio B (a Wholehog II) has developed a number of problems over the last month or so to the point now that it is no longer usable. Luckily we have a spare PC-based console on the ship which was on loan from head office in Miami while our Promenade console was away being repaired and we hadn't really gotten around to sending it back to them after we got the promenade console back. So for now I am using the PC console and so far there haven't been any major issues, just small tweaks needed here and there to keep things running.
I had sent an e-mail to our fleet sound, lighting, and rigging specialist in Miami to express my concern in repeatedly repairing our old consoles and to my surprise he responded that he had a Road Hog console just sitting around the office and offered it to our ship as a replacement for the old Hog 2. We should be receiving it sometime next month I would guess. It will be really nice to have a new toy to play with, with many added capabilities, not to mention something more reliable than the Hog 2 (ours are all 12 years old and each has SOME kind of issue). I sent my Hog showfiles off to the manufacturer today in order to have them converted into the newer format. Since the conversion process doesn't convert every last bit of the file, there will be some work still for me to do in order to get Ice Odyssey looking the same as it did before. That will not be a problem at all for me since I was present during the recent visit of our lighting designer in February and during that time I absorbed a lot of information about the show that I will be able to use to touch-up the show (in addition to videos from past shows, if needed).
So far there is still no real update on the itineraries for the 2012 Asia season, other than the crossing from New Orleans to Singapore. That will be one heck of a cruise and something I am really looking forward to. It will contain calls in the Bahamas, Azores, Spain, Egypt, the Suez Canal, Dubai, Goa, India, and Malaysia over a period of 6 weeks, broken up into 3 cruises.
Also, our current Head Sound and Light Technician is going to be signing off in just over 2 weeks and it sounds as though I am the most likely successor. It will be good experience for me to have, plus I am already contributing a lot to the overall running of all things technical as it is right now so I think if I am chosen I will settle into the position just fine.
 |
| Wholehog II |
 | |
| Road Hog |
I had sent an e-mail to our fleet sound, lighting, and rigging specialist in Miami to express my concern in repeatedly repairing our old consoles and to my surprise he responded that he had a Road Hog console just sitting around the office and offered it to our ship as a replacement for the old Hog 2. We should be receiving it sometime next month I would guess. It will be really nice to have a new toy to play with, with many added capabilities, not to mention something more reliable than the Hog 2 (ours are all 12 years old and each has SOME kind of issue). I sent my Hog showfiles off to the manufacturer today in order to have them converted into the newer format. Since the conversion process doesn't convert every last bit of the file, there will be some work still for me to do in order to get Ice Odyssey looking the same as it did before. That will not be a problem at all for me since I was present during the recent visit of our lighting designer in February and during that time I absorbed a lot of information about the show that I will be able to use to touch-up the show (in addition to videos from past shows, if needed).
So far there is still no real update on the itineraries for the 2012 Asia season, other than the crossing from New Orleans to Singapore. That will be one heck of a cruise and something I am really looking forward to. It will contain calls in the Bahamas, Azores, Spain, Egypt, the Suez Canal, Dubai, Goa, India, and Malaysia over a period of 6 weeks, broken up into 3 cruises.
Also, our current Head Sound and Light Technician is going to be signing off in just over 2 weeks and it sounds as though I am the most likely successor. It will be good experience for me to have, plus I am already contributing a lot to the overall running of all things technical as it is right now so I think if I am chosen I will settle into the position just fine.
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