Sun, Sand, and Jazz!
01/30/10, 8:45 pm
I apologize for being EXTREMELY LAZY and not ever updating this blog. One main reason is that I’m still sort of figuring out which days I do and don’t have internet access (not counting ship internet, which is ten cents a minute). I’m coming to the end of my second week aboard the Legend, and I’m finally in a routine and I finally feel settled down. This ship itself is really cool and unique. The name Legend is supported by the many different names of clubs, venues, and lounge areas. Some include the Follies Lounge (main lounge), the Firebird Lounge (a smaller lounge), Satchmo’s (where karaoke takes place), Atlantis Lounge (another smaller lounge for music and social gathering), the Dream Team Sports Bar, Medusa’s Lair Disco club, Fountain of Youth Spa and Gymnasium, and Noah’s Ark Children’s play area.
Our weekly schedule is pretty easy to follow, and the work is pretty evenly distributed from day to day. Sunday is our port day in Tampa, and as always, guests are busy coming aboard, getting familiarized with the ship (“Where’s the Lido deck?”) and as always, that’s my one day on US land where I can use my cell phone. There are a few lounge sets that evening, followed by the ever popular Carnival Welcome Aboard Show. Monday is a Fun Day at Sea, en route to the Caribbean islands at which we will be stopping. The first of two production shows, Jazz Hot, is performed on Monday night. It’s a great show, and the crew members I talked to on the Paradise who said they had worked on the Legend said lots of great things about this show specifically. The music samples some of the best hits from the Big Band era, swing jazz, Latin jazz, jazz influences in Broadway, and a lot more in between. The showband is placed on stage, and the singers and dancers use our setup as part of the staging area to which they perform. Tuesday morning, we arrive in Grand Cayman Islands. There is a lot of shopping and some great restaurants here. Tuesday night we play a Past Guest Reception, in which Carnival recognizes guests who have sailed multiple times. Then later that night, we play a set in the Firebird Lounge. We play some jazz oriented dance music, followed by some rock, R&B, and even a few disco tunes. Wednesday is the day off for the showband, and lucky for us – we’re in Cozumel, Mexico! Again, there are lots of shops and a few restaurants right at the port, and there’s a lot more for me to discover as the weeks go by. Thursday we arrive at the island of Belize City, Belize. There isn’t as much shopping here as there has been in the other ports of call, but for the passengers there are a lot of different and exciting shore excursions available. Thursday night we provide some music in Atlantis lounge as guests pass by on their way to dinner. Friday is our last stop, as we pull into the Isla Roatan of Honduras. The past two Fridays, we’ve pulled into two different ports. The first port, Mahogany Bay, is a brand new cruise port completely exclusive to cruise ship passengers. This place is filled with more shops and restaurants, and there is a pathway that leads to a beach area, covered with lounge chairs and right on the edge of the clear blue water. There is snorkeling and scuba equipment available for rental, and I’m definitely looking forward to taking advantage of those things! Yet for some reason, we pulled into a different port this past Friday. Even though it was an area exclusive to cruise ship passengers, it was a little more centrally located to the rest of the city. Friday afternoon we perform a Lido set outside, with some tunes by Chicago, Steely Dan, and others. Friday night we play the second production show, titled Big Easy. As the title lets you know, it’s a New Orleans themed show, and features Dixieland music, some country music, some R&B, a tribute to Louis Armstrong, and the longest medley of “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the entire planet! Saturday is the second Fun Day at Sea, as we make our way back to the good ole United States. All week in karaoke, people have been secretly auditioning for their chance to be in the spotlight as the stars of Saturday night’s performance of the show called Legends. Hit songs from top artists include James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Garth Brooks, Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. And it’s always interesting to see how guests react to being on a stage with a microphone in their hand, an odd costume on their body, and a giant spotlight on their face as they stare into the faces of 2,000 other guests. I’ll let your imaginations do the rest…
01/31/10, 9:30 pm
Well, hello! I’m gearing up for another week of work. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had a blast spending time with my Grandma and Grandpa and my Uncle Tim. Grandpa and Grandma live in Ruskin, which is about a 30 minute drive from the cruise port in Tampa, and Uncle Tim lives in the downtown area of Tampa, about 10 minutes from the cruise port. They’ve picked me up, taken me to their house, fed me, taken me to Walmart, and it’s really a blessing to get to spend time with them. I always remember hearing from other entertainment people on the Paradise how nice it was that they had family in the Long Beach/Los Angeles area, and now I’m experiencing that as well. In other news, for those of you that don’t know, Mom and Dad are in Costa Rica this week for the annual church mission trip. It’s led and organized by a group of people from a Methodist church in Ashland, KY. For the past several years, they’ve teamed up with a group from our former church in Louisville, St. Matthews UMC. I was fortunate enough to attend the first year we all teamed up (back in 2005), and my Mom has been going with the group every year since. And this year, my Dad was fortunate enough to attend as well. I wish them both, as well as the rest of the group, continued safe travels and God’s blessings as they work to spread the love of Jesus to the people they serve by their actions and their words. And I hope they bring me back some Costa Rican coffee… mmm! Even though today is Sunday, this won’t be online until Tuesday. Again, for those who actually follow this blog, I apologize for the massive delay in posting, and I hope that I can continue to keep it up and keep adding to it as often as I can. Also, I need some more exciting and interesting things to be happening so I actually have something to add!
