Training

My training has begun, and wow is it ever just as intensive as everyone said it would be.  I’m technically supposed to be off today (minus a half-hour shift at 9:30pm) but instead I’m spending most of the day in training.

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather today and yesterday… I think I must have caught some kind of mild URI on my first day.  My co-workers have been great about it and told me to get lots of rest.  I do feel much better today than I did yesterday so the rest must have helped.

Getting around the ship as a staff member definitely takes some getting used to.  I’m managing because I have always had a good sense of direction, but even I was totally lost on my first day.  When these ships are designed, priority is obviously given to the passengers and therefore they are given very easy routes around the ship.  For the staff and crew, it’s more tricky.  We aren’t allowed to use passenger elevators unless accompanying a passenger to a specific location.  There are lots of crew elevators but most of them don’t stop at every floor, so you have to pick and choose in order to get on the right one.  Fortunately the route from my cabin to studio B is only a brief walk up I-95 (the main corridor on deck 1 which runs the length of the ship) and then up one set of stairs.  That’s going to come in quite handy when it’s my turn to have a rotation as duty tech in a few weeks (duty techs are responsible for taking out the trash, locking up the venue at night, and most importantly: making ice).

Well, it’s time to head back to the training room.  I have no idea what this particular one is for… my schedule says something about FF training.  I’m guessing FF is Fire Fighting?  Should be interesting.

Welcome Aboard

Today was quite the exciting day.  The bus from the hotel took drove me and 5 other crew members to the pier, where we had our paperwork checked and handed over our passports.  From that point it was probably about a 45-60 minute wait until we got on the ship.  Once onboard, went directly to the crew office and signed my employment and checked to make sure all the info they had on file for me was correct.

The dance captain from the main theatre met me at the crew office and took me to my crew cabin (my roommate’s name is Ryan… so I guess it shall now be known as the Ryans’ Cabin), followed by a brief tour highlighting a couple important areas of the ship such as my emergency station, staff mess (cafeteria), and staff bar.  Then I was introduced to my Head Stage Staff, George (who was only today promoted to Head Technical Stage Staff).  He showed me around the crew areas a bit more and then took me to my venue, Studio B.  Studio B is a multipurpose room featuring an ice rink which is used for 2 different ice shows as well as being available at certain times for Passengers to skate.  Since I work Studio B and not the main theatre, my schedule will probably be a bit more relaxed and I will also get to drive the Zamboni when we make ice (which seems to happen quite often, 3-4 times a day.  At Studio B I met the other 2 stage staff there: Leslie and Junior, and my Studio B supervisor: also Leslie.  I have met the entire technical team at this point including all from the Palace Theatre and from Studio B.  Everyone seems quite friendly and positive, so I think this is going to be a great experience.

I’m all unpacked now (I can’t believe I’m already done) and the cabin has a surprising amount of storage considering its size.  I’m on the top bunk, but it’s not as bad as I had expected it might be.

I think I’m going to go for a walk now.  I haven’t really been up to the passenger areas today, and since I am allowed to use them, I think I should.

Tomorrow I will have a 3 hour safety training session first thing in the morning.  I’m not looking for ward to it.  On the positive side though, I will get my crew ID card tomorrow which means I will be able to start charging drinks to my onboard account.  I think that will make up for the training.

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:

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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.