So me and my luggage are all in Newark and checked-in to a hotel for the night before boarding tomorrow.  Apparently I’m supposed to be getting a roommate for the night but so far nobody has shown up.  Since the latest flight into Newark arrives around 11:15pm, I’ll assume that it’s unlikely anyone will show up after midnight.

Hopefully I’ll be well-rested tonight and all set for tomorrow… something tells me it’s going to be a long day… followed by a long 2 weeks. lol

The Adventure Begins

So here I am at Toronto Pearson International Airport. I came way earlier than necessary because I expected there was a high likelihood that I would be lead into some kind of back room and interrogated… but no. The US Customs/Immigration officer was unexpectedly personable, and after a couple minutes checking that everything was in order, he sent me on my way. Of course that was going to happen, because I made extra time available in case it did; that’s how life works.

Anyhow, I suppose it’s all for the best that things have gone smoothly so far… I hope that they continue to go that way. As long as my flight to Dulles doesn’t get delayed, I’ll be fine. If it is late… all hell might break loose. I have a 50 minute connection and two suitcases containing my entire life which might not make it to the second plane if this flight is late.

Other than that… not much else to report at this point. I’m glad to be finally on my way.

Update:

Here is a photo of my sister and I before I left for the airport:

Just a few days now

Only 3 more days until I join the ship, I can't wait. I REALLY need to get my packing done tomorrow; I don't think I'll be doing anything else but packing all day.

As much as I would love to update everyone as soon as I can about how things are going once I've started, please understand that any new crew member's first two weeks on board are usually taken up by intensive safety training (when not working their usual job, that is). As soon as I have a reasonable amount of free time, I will do my best to get the blog up-to-date on how things are going with my job, etc. In the meantime I will probably write posts on my laptop before bed or something and then post them in order when I have the opportunity to get myself to an internet connection.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to being able to actually get on with writing about my experiences on board Explorer of the Seas.


A side-note for Cruise Critic members:

I can tell by looking at my site statistics that approximately 90% or more of my blog traffic so far has come from Cruise Critic. Please be advised that for the duration of this contract, and any subsequent contracts with Royal Caribbean, I will abstain from posting on Cruise Critic and similar message boards as it is considered a conflict of interest. However, anything that I feel is appropriate to post about the Explorer of the Seas I will do my best to write about it here on my blog. Also, remember that anything I post here is to be considered unofficial.

Two Weeks!

Wow, and here I was thinking that these last few weeks were going to be the longest of my life. Time has actually been passing fairly quickly for me as my departure date approaches. For the past couple years I have been doing some freelance work, in order to earn an income while I was at college. Let me tell you, nothing brings in a flood of last-minute work like telling your clients you'll be out of the country for 6 months. So I've been plenty busy with that.

Last week I passed and submitted my medical exam, so there is no more paperwork left for me to submit at this point. All I have to worry about is how to get my entire life for the next six months, packed into two suitcases weighing less than 50lbs. each. Luckily I'm well-traveled and know how to pack, but it's still going to be tough. I've just learned that United Airlines has no weight limit on carry-on luggage, so I'm going to be packing my small carry-on suitcase denser than a lead brick in order to ease off the demands on the other two suitcases.

The excitement is building as September 30th draws nearer, only 15 more days!

It's Official

Today I received all my official paperwork that outlines my specific contract, the method for joining the ship, and what to bring. I didn't even know it was coming soon so it was a nice surprise. I looked through all the contents of the huge envelope and was left with every single one of my remaining questions answered. Despite being a somewhat complicated process, Royal Caribbean and my hiring agent have been very thorough in the information and paperwork provided so I should have no troubles when I head down to Newark on September 30.

There is a lot of paperwork involved in the hiring process. I must have mailed at least 3 envelopes containing multiple forms to the hiring agent since April. Luckily all that's left is to complete my medical exam, which should be ready to submit by this time next week.

My Letter of Employment states that my contract will last 6 months, 3 weeks. By my calculation that would have me disembarking the ship on April 15, 2010.

I figured I should make my address available for any family/friends that might want it. I know that nobody sends anything by snail-mail these days, but just in case my mailing address on the ship will be:

REDACTED
I guess that's all for now. I look forward to starting work on the ship and being able to post lots of information on ship life, the ports of call, and anything else that happens to me along the way.