Today we docked in Oslo for a half-day call. The weather was pretty poor all morning but it got much better in the afternoon.
I assisted one of the 2ETOs with a few things today such as running the emergency generator, testing the boiler safety devices, and replacing a damaged PT100 probe.
There was nothing in the wardroom tonight.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
DAY 28
Today was another busy one right from the get-go. Fitting the new motor controller yesterday turned out to be a bit trickier than I would have hoped. The type we had in stores as a spare was a newer model than the one I was replacing and all of the inputs and outputs did not marry up. I had to delve into manuals for both controllers to figure out how I could keep the same operation with the new controller as it was with the old one. Long story short it was easier said than done and it took half of the day to finally put a stamp on it and say it was done.
Tonight was the welcome aboard cocktail parties. When we sail out of Southampton the WOBs are always the second night of the cruise. When we sailed out of Barbados they were the third night of the cruise, to allow more time to unpack and get the good clothes sorted out.
A few of us went up to the Trattoria after the cocktails and I had the Lasagna again and it was amazing again. We ordered some red wine, Chateneuf du Pap, to have with dinner.
After dinner we ended up in another officer’s cabin where a small contingent of other officers had gathered. There was a lot to drink and a couple of movies - Taxi Driver, and The shining - were played on the 32 inch screen that this particular officer had. All of the standard TV sets in the cabins are only about 17 inches but it is perfectly acceptable to buy your own.
After awhile I stumbled back to my cabin and hit the sack.
Tonight was the welcome aboard cocktail parties. When we sail out of Southampton the WOBs are always the second night of the cruise. When we sailed out of Barbados they were the third night of the cruise, to allow more time to unpack and get the good clothes sorted out.
A few of us went up to the Trattoria after the cocktails and I had the Lasagna again and it was amazing again. We ordered some red wine, Chateneuf du Pap, to have with dinner.
After dinner we ended up in another officer’s cabin where a small contingent of other officers had gathered. There was a lot to drink and a couple of movies - Taxi Driver, and The shining - were played on the 32 inch screen that this particular officer had. All of the standard TV sets in the cabins are only about 17 inches but it is perfectly acceptable to buy your own.
After awhile I stumbled back to my cabin and hit the sack.
DAY 27
Another turnaround day was came and went and it turned out to be a very busy day. All hope of getting off and going into Southampton was dashed when the engine 2ETO asked for my help to fit a new motor controller for the feed pump to the oily water separator, aka COW (centrifugal oil-water separator).
I literally spent all day on it, and I was lucky enough to not get called to fix a crew lift even with all of the baggage and stores operations going on.
Being it a turnaround day you could probably guess where I went for dinner. Up to the pub dinner in the wardroom is the answer and the usual fare of Indian and british food was to be had. A few of the new joiners came up and most of them I knew already from before.
I called it an early night.
I literally spent all day on it, and I was lucky enough to not get called to fix a crew lift even with all of the baggage and stores operations going on.
Being it a turnaround day you could probably guess where I went for dinner. Up to the pub dinner in the wardroom is the answer and the usual fare of Indian and british food was to be had. A few of the new joiners came up and most of them I knew already from before.
I called it an early night.
DAY 26
Last day of the cruise and it was a sea day. It was actually supposed to be St. Peter port, Guernsey, but a storm was heading there so the captain made the executive decision to cancel that in the name of safety.
I helped the engine 2ETO for some of the day. I have been doing that more often since I seem to have a good handle on most of the 3ETO duties. Seeing the types of things that go wrong in the engine room is good for when I eventually step up to the position. Depending on the system it can take a lot of coordination with the 1EO to repair equipment down there; another side of the job that to be prepared for.
After work the whole electrical department went up to the wardroom for a drink to say goodbye to the SETO who is going on leave tomorrow. He bought the first two rounds, which was awesome. Every time I go for a drink straight after work I usually end up buying a couple of bags of cheese and onion chips to munch on. The british say crisps instead of chips among other things, which is always an infuriating topic of conversation.
I just went down to the Officers Mess for dinner and ordered a steak. It was alright. Then it was off to bed.
I helped the engine 2ETO for some of the day. I have been doing that more often since I seem to have a good handle on most of the 3ETO duties. Seeing the types of things that go wrong in the engine room is good for when I eventually step up to the position. Depending on the system it can take a lot of coordination with the 1EO to repair equipment down there; another side of the job that to be prepared for.
After work the whole electrical department went up to the wardroom for a drink to say goodbye to the SETO who is going on leave tomorrow. He bought the first two rounds, which was awesome. Every time I go for a drink straight after work I usually end up buying a couple of bags of cheese and onion chips to munch on. The british say crisps instead of chips among other things, which is always an infuriating topic of conversation.
I just went down to the Officers Mess for dinner and ordered a steak. It was alright. Then it was off to bed.
DAY 25
Today we were in Cobh, the gateway port to Cork, Ireland. This was another addition to the cruise in order to avoid the rough weather that was passing through Guernsey. The tours team had to arrange last minute tours because it was only made known to the public 48 hours ago that we would be calling into Cobh. They managed to come up with some decent ones, like the one to Blarney Castle where you can kiss the fabled Blarney Stone, which is supposed to grant the gift of eloquence.
Tonight we had the customary Portunus Party in the Starlights Lounge to honour our Portunus members. All one needs to do to become a Portunus member is go on a few cruises. It takes at least 50 days of cruising to become a gold-tier member, which at the moment is the highest tier with the most benefits. So eight 7-day cruises, four 14-day cruises, or two 26-day cruises is what it would take to get there. There are the Ruby and Sapphire tiers as well. There is talk of introducing a new tier called the Platinum tier for those well over 50 days. Then I guess from there it would go double then triple platinum. I don’t believe it is only based on days at sea because that would mean someone who books the penthouse suite 7 times would not be gold tier, but someone who books the cheapest cabin 8 times would be.
After Portunus I went up to the conservatory for the Trattoria once again and had an amazing Lasagna al Forno. It was exquisite.
Tonight we had the customary Portunus Party in the Starlights Lounge to honour our Portunus members. All one needs to do to become a Portunus member is go on a few cruises. It takes at least 50 days of cruising to become a gold-tier member, which at the moment is the highest tier with the most benefits. So eight 7-day cruises, four 14-day cruises, or two 26-day cruises is what it would take to get there. There are the Ruby and Sapphire tiers as well. There is talk of introducing a new tier called the Platinum tier for those well over 50 days. Then I guess from there it would go double then triple platinum. I don’t believe it is only based on days at sea because that would mean someone who books the penthouse suite 7 times would not be gold tier, but someone who books the cheapest cabin 8 times would be.
After Portunus I went up to the conservatory for the Trattoria once again and had an amazing Lasagna al Forno. It was exquisite.
DAY 24
Today we were still in Dublin because due to the change in itinerary it was decided to spend overnight here. If I were a passenger I would think that this is even better than a day call into somewhere less vibrant than Dublin, but there are people that will complain about missing Stornoway.
Today was rather quiet on the job. Some fellow colleagues were feeling the effects of a good night out in Dublin last night.
In the Wardroom this evening we had the Pre-Dinner Drinks event again, where we invite passengers that we like up for a cocktail before dinner. I didn’t get a chance to invite anyone this time but other officers had invited several people so I wasn’t without someone to talk to.
After the cocktails a group of us went up to the Conservatory for the Asian/Oriental Buffet. I always enjoy this buffet and I thoroughly stuffed myself. I didn’t want to go to bed on such a full stomach so I stayed up for a while reading a book.
Today was rather quiet on the job. Some fellow colleagues were feeling the effects of a good night out in Dublin last night.
In the Wardroom this evening we had the Pre-Dinner Drinks event again, where we invite passengers that we like up for a cocktail before dinner. I didn’t get a chance to invite anyone this time but other officers had invited several people so I wasn’t without someone to talk to.
After the cocktails a group of us went up to the Conservatory for the Asian/Oriental Buffet. I always enjoy this buffet and I thoroughly stuffed myself. I didn’t want to go to bed on such a full stomach so I stayed up for a while reading a book.
DAY 23
Today we arrived in Dublin at around noon. With the itinerary change we are staying all the way until about 2000 tomorrow evening, which will give everyone a great chance to go out and see Dublin’s day and night life.
I was off the ship by about 1300 with a few other people. We took the shuttle bus into downtown Dublin, which took about 15 minutes. We were dropped off near the center of town on Kildare Street. A short walk and we were on the main street with all the big name shops. The shopping district is split into north and south; each side having a main street. Grafton street is the main street on the south side of the river Liffey and Talbot/Henry/Mary Street is the main street on the north side.
I quickly realized that Dublin was quite an expensive city when it came to merchandise with prices close to twice that I would pay in Vancouver or even Southampton. A passenger on the shuttle bus ride over said since joining the EU Dublin has grown a lot, thus increasing the standard of living and at the same time the cost as well.
All along the river there are small bridges that connect the two sides of the city. The traffic didn’t seem to heavy around the city, but it was only a Monday afternoon.
I walked as far as I could and made it to a lot of nice landmarks such as the Christ Church Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, the spire, etc. I started at around 1330 and didn’t finish until about 1830 so I walked continuously for over 5 hours. Needless to say my feet were a wee bit sore by the end of it and I felt like sleeping for several hours.
I was planning to get out in the evening to the temple bar area for a few drinks with the others to see the vibrant Dublin night life, but I opted to stay in and cover for a colleague on duty to let them get out and stretch their legs as well.
When I got back to the ship I went for dinner in the officer’s mess where it ended up being just me and the Chief sat across from each other the whole time. He’s a good Chief, originally from England, who now resides somewhere in New Brunswick with his wife.
After dinner it was back to the cabin to write this and then for some Z’s.
I was off the ship by about 1300 with a few other people. We took the shuttle bus into downtown Dublin, which took about 15 minutes. We were dropped off near the center of town on Kildare Street. A short walk and we were on the main street with all the big name shops. The shopping district is split into north and south; each side having a main street. Grafton street is the main street on the south side of the river Liffey and Talbot/Henry/Mary Street is the main street on the north side.
I quickly realized that Dublin was quite an expensive city when it came to merchandise with prices close to twice that I would pay in Vancouver or even Southampton. A passenger on the shuttle bus ride over said since joining the EU Dublin has grown a lot, thus increasing the standard of living and at the same time the cost as well.
All along the river there are small bridges that connect the two sides of the city. The traffic didn’t seem to heavy around the city, but it was only a Monday afternoon.
I walked as far as I could and made it to a lot of nice landmarks such as the Christ Church Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, the spire, etc. I started at around 1330 and didn’t finish until about 1830 so I walked continuously for over 5 hours. Needless to say my feet were a wee bit sore by the end of it and I felt like sleeping for several hours.
I was planning to get out in the evening to the temple bar area for a few drinks with the others to see the vibrant Dublin night life, but I opted to stay in and cover for a colleague on duty to let them get out and stretch their legs as well.
When I got back to the ship I went for dinner in the officer’s mess where it ended up being just me and the Chief sat across from each other the whole time. He’s a good Chief, originally from England, who now resides somewhere in New Brunswick with his wife.
After dinner it was back to the cabin to write this and then for some Z’s.
DAY 22
Today we were in Douglas, Isle of Mann. Just looking out from the top deck I could tell that this was a nice place what with the beaches, rolling green hills and quaint buildings that seemed all so close by.
My superiors have been in a good mood lately so I took the opportunity to get ashore for a couple of hours after lunch. Since it was a boat port it took a bit more time getting off and on the ship. I got on a tender at around 1330 and was back on the ship just after 1530.
I walked along one of the main streets of Douglas with a woman I met on the tender who was on the Artemis training the bar staff how to mix drinks properly and serve the customers. She was on a mission in Douglas to find a B&B where her father could stay next year during the TT races, which, I am told are quite popular.
When I got back to the ship it was business as usual until we knocked off at 1800.
Later at around 1030 a wardroom “Pirate Party” kicked off. Some people showed up in some really authentic looking costumes as classic pirates with the eye patch, parrot and hook. Others came as Somalian pirates. I just had to be different, so I turned up in regular clothes and brought with me some ‘fake’ pirated movies and music CDs. It was pretty random to have a pirate party on a cruise around Britain but it was a good excuse to have a pour out which meant free booze.
My superiors have been in a good mood lately so I took the opportunity to get ashore for a couple of hours after lunch. Since it was a boat port it took a bit more time getting off and on the ship. I got on a tender at around 1330 and was back on the ship just after 1530.
I walked along one of the main streets of Douglas with a woman I met on the tender who was on the Artemis training the bar staff how to mix drinks properly and serve the customers. She was on a mission in Douglas to find a B&B where her father could stay next year during the TT races, which, I am told are quite popular.
When I got back to the ship it was business as usual until we knocked off at 1800.
Later at around 1030 a wardroom “Pirate Party” kicked off. Some people showed up in some really authentic looking costumes as classic pirates with the eye patch, parrot and hook. Others came as Somalian pirates. I just had to be different, so I turned up in regular clothes and brought with me some ‘fake’ pirated movies and music CDs. It was pretty random to have a pirate party on a cruise around Britain but it was a good excuse to have a pour out which meant free booze.
DAY 21
Today we were at sea, which was not the original plan. Due to rough weather the call in Stornoway was cancelled. Instead, the captain informed everyone that we would sail directly for Douglas tomorrow and then the next day we would go to Dublin, where we would spend a day and a half. I think these changes will improve the cruise to be quite honest because I wasn’t seeing many people excited about going to Stornoway anyway.
Today there was the Artemis Uncovered event in the Atrium where all the departments have a display showing the passengers what they do. Myself and a colleague were the lucky ones from the Electrical Department to stand by our table and answer any questions the passengers had. Luckily it was only an hour…
At noon today there was the traditional Gold-Tier Luncheon in the Coral Dining Room. It was superb as usual and I had a good chat with the three couples that were on my table 88.
I went back to work at 1600 and continued until we all finished at 1800. I went to the gym for a run and after a shitshowerandshave went up to the Senior Officer’s cocktail party. After the party I went for dinner up to the conservatory for the Thai Buffet, which was great. I was joined by the staff captain and a financial officer.
It was the 60’s and 70’s dress up night for the passengers, so there were a few hippies seen on decks. There is usually a shindig up on the open decks but it was inclement weather and it was held in the Starlights Lounge instead. The dancers have a show titled “Swinging 60’s” after which they come out to the party and dance with the passengers. I met up with a couple of people at Starlights for a drink before heading off to bed.
Today there was the Artemis Uncovered event in the Atrium where all the departments have a display showing the passengers what they do. Myself and a colleague were the lucky ones from the Electrical Department to stand by our table and answer any questions the passengers had. Luckily it was only an hour…
At noon today there was the traditional Gold-Tier Luncheon in the Coral Dining Room. It was superb as usual and I had a good chat with the three couples that were on my table 88.
I went back to work at 1600 and continued until we all finished at 1800. I went to the gym for a run and after a shitshowerandshave went up to the Senior Officer’s cocktail party. After the party I went for dinner up to the conservatory for the Thai Buffet, which was great. I was joined by the staff captain and a financial officer.
It was the 60’s and 70’s dress up night for the passengers, so there were a few hippies seen on decks. There is usually a shindig up on the open decks but it was inclement weather and it was held in the Starlights Lounge instead. The dancers have a show titled “Swinging 60’s” after which they come out to the party and dance with the passengers. I met up with a couple of people at Starlights for a drink before heading off to bed.
DAY 20
Today we were in Lerwick. It was a tender port and it didn’t go particularly well because of the times that we arrived and had to depart. We came in a bit late, which made everyone rush about trying to get off of the ship to their tours. We only have 4 tenders that hold about 65 people each so it takes a bit of time to get 1000 passengers off the ship. The sea was quite choppy as well my friends which didn’t help the situation.
From what I could see from the upper decks Lerwick looked like a nice place. But that is as close as I got to it on this occasion. They cancelled the crew shore leave because they didn’t get all of the passengers off of the ship until about noon and they needed to get them all back on by 1600.
In the wardroom tonight was “Casino Night”. The entire casino department came up to host whatever we wanted to play. There ended up being a few blackjack and Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. I sat in for three games of blackjack but couldn’t turn a profit so I cut my losses and called it a night. I watched the rest of the gambling taking place and there were some interesting things that happened during the Hold ‘em tourney.
From what I could see from the upper decks Lerwick looked like a nice place. But that is as close as I got to it on this occasion. They cancelled the crew shore leave because they didn’t get all of the passengers off of the ship until about noon and they needed to get them all back on by 1600.
In the wardroom tonight was “Casino Night”. The entire casino department came up to host whatever we wanted to play. There ended up being a few blackjack and Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. I sat in for three games of blackjack but couldn’t turn a profit so I cut my losses and called it a night. I watched the rest of the gambling taking place and there were some interesting things that happened during the Hold ‘em tourney.
DAY 19
Today we were in Rosyth, the gateway port to Edinburgh, Scotland. I was planning to go on tour today to the Roslynn Chapel, but something came up on the ship and I had to work in the afternoon.
The Roslynn Chapel is the one that is visited by professor Langdon at the end of the Da Vinci Code novel.
There were no parties up in the Wardroom tonight, so a fellow officer and I decided to have a walk around the passenger decks to see what sort of entertainment was available. The passengers must have been tuckered out from the day in Edinburgh because it didn’t seem like many of them were out at about 2300. There was a tropical party in the Starlights Lounge and the dancer show in the International Lounge. We went to go see the dancer show and it turned out to be the one with all of the ABBA songs in it. It is one of the good shows that the headliner theatre company performs.
After a drink in the Tiffany’s bar after the show we decided to call it a night.
The Roslynn Chapel is the one that is visited by professor Langdon at the end of the Da Vinci Code novel.
There were no parties up in the Wardroom tonight, so a fellow officer and I decided to have a walk around the passenger decks to see what sort of entertainment was available. The passengers must have been tuckered out from the day in Edinburgh because it didn’t seem like many of them were out at about 2300. There was a tropical party in the Starlights Lounge and the dancer show in the International Lounge. We went to go see the dancer show and it turned out to be the one with all of the ABBA songs in it. It is one of the good shows that the headliner theatre company performs.
After a drink in the Tiffany’s bar after the show we decided to call it a night.
DAY 18
Today we were in the port of Newcastle, England. I had a quiet day and stayed in. I just wasn’t up for going off the ship for some reason.
Tonight was Indian dinner up in the Wardroom, which is always nice.
Tonight was Indian dinner up in the Wardroom, which is always nice.
DAY 17
Today was a sea day as we make our way to Newcastle. Nothing very exciting seemed to be going on around the ship. Just another day in paradise.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
DAY 16
Well today is turnaround day and it is one that many crew on the ship dread. It is like the equivalent of a Monday back home. The big issue for me is the lifts because on the night before turnaround day every passengers’ luggage is taken down from their cabins to deck 1 using the lifts and on the day of turnaround all the new passengers’ luggage is taken up to their cabins in them. It is quite a sight to see just how many bags they can stuff into a lift. Since the lifts are usually pushed to the limit during these operations it is not uncommon for problems to develop.
I was hoping to get out for an hour or two in Southampton to stretch my legs and buy some stuff but it just didn’t happen this time. For sure next time though.
Every night on turnaround day for dinner there is a pub dinner in the wardroom. I may have mentioned this back on DAY 1. It is a good time to meet any new joiners that have arrived today. This time around a few people came back that I had met on my last contract. There were also a few new faces.
After a fairly hectic day it is always nice to put it all behind you, collapse onto the bed, and drift into a deep sleep.
I was hoping to get out for an hour or two in Southampton to stretch my legs and buy some stuff but it just didn’t happen this time. For sure next time though.
Every night on turnaround day for dinner there is a pub dinner in the wardroom. I may have mentioned this back on DAY 1. It is a good time to meet any new joiners that have arrived today. This time around a few people came back that I had met on my last contract. There were also a few new faces.
After a fairly hectic day it is always nice to put it all behind you, collapse onto the bed, and drift into a deep sleep.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
DAY 15
Today was the last night of this cruise and a sea day. Basically it felt like quite before the storm of the next turnaround day when a new cruise would start and new passengers would come aboard. I had a quiet day (calm before storm) walking around checking the lifts and fire detection system. After work I went to the gym and swam some lengths in the pool. I was getting ready to have a nice dinner in the conservatory where it was Country Western night when I got a page to attend one of the crew lifts that was quite important to the baggage operation that was going on being that it was the last night of the cruise. I spent nearly two hours and missed my dinner trying to figure out the cause of the breakdown but it was all for naught as I would find out the next day because, as is often the case, the problem was quite simple requiring less than an hour to fix. The baggage operations that night were still successful because all the other lifts were working well.
After I had given up on the lift I went to the last show of the cruise called “World Steps”, which happens to be my favourite. The music and comedy is what does it for me. I’ll have to take a video of some of it sometime to bring home to show everyone.
After the show, my nerves were still quite charged from the lift fiasco so I went up stairs to Horizons for a drink. I met some people up there I had seen a few times throughout the cruise and a couple I met for the first time and we all had a farewell drink together. Some of the nicest people I’ve met not wanting to put a drink on my tab because they wouldn’t be able to reciprocate since it was the last night of the cruise. Bless them.
One fellow I just met tonight told me that he is a professional cruiser and only stays in the penthouse suite on every ship he goes on. If what he said and how he said it didn’t convince me that he had a lot of money, it was the copious amounts of bling that he wore that did. He literally had on every finger a massive ring with multiple precious stones. If he wasn’t one of the nicest and down to earth passengers I had ever met on a cruise I’d probably loathe him, but he was. You just never know who you will meet on the little ship with a big heart.
After I had given up on the lift I went to the last show of the cruise called “World Steps”, which happens to be my favourite. The music and comedy is what does it for me. I’ll have to take a video of some of it sometime to bring home to show everyone.
After the show, my nerves were still quite charged from the lift fiasco so I went up stairs to Horizons for a drink. I met some people up there I had seen a few times throughout the cruise and a couple I met for the first time and we all had a farewell drink together. Some of the nicest people I’ve met not wanting to put a drink on my tab because they wouldn’t be able to reciprocate since it was the last night of the cruise. Bless them.
One fellow I just met tonight told me that he is a professional cruiser and only stays in the penthouse suite on every ship he goes on. If what he said and how he said it didn’t convince me that he had a lot of money, it was the copious amounts of bling that he wore that did. He literally had on every finger a massive ring with multiple precious stones. If he wasn’t one of the nicest and down to earth passengers I had ever met on a cruise I’d probably loathe him, but he was. You just never know who you will meet on the little ship with a big heart.
DAY 14
Today we were in Dublin for nearly 18 hours (0600-2330), and believe it or not I managed to stay on board that whole time. Dublin is one of those special cities where everyone on board makes the effort to go ashore even if only for a couple of hours. We are headed there again next cruise for the same amount of time so I’ll make sure to get ashore then. It is supposed to be a nice city to go out and have a drink in a pub. It was Saturday so a lot of people came back saying it was absolutely buzzing around town.
I hit the officer mess for dinner and then went up to the cyber Study to use the internet where a friend happens to work. After I had finished on the web we went up for a quick drink up in Horizons before we headed to the Indian Independence Day party that was just getting started in the crew mess. The actual day of independence is tomorrow on the 15th, but they made the good decision to have the party on the second-to-last night of the cruise since “almost” everyone has a busy day on turnarounds and tomorrow is a sea day. The party was a success and there was lots of music and dancing late into the night.
I hit the officer mess for dinner and then went up to the cyber Study to use the internet where a friend happens to work. After I had finished on the web we went up for a quick drink up in Horizons before we headed to the Indian Independence Day party that was just getting started in the crew mess. The actual day of independence is tomorrow on the 15th, but they made the good decision to have the party on the second-to-last night of the cruise since “almost” everyone has a busy day on turnarounds and tomorrow is a sea day. The party was a success and there was lots of music and dancing late into the night.
DAY 13
Today we were in Greencastle, Ireland. I was able to get off the ship for some time and explore. The ship was anchored just off the shore so everyone getting off the ship was taken to land on tender boats. I took a shuttle bus from where the tender dropped me 45 minutes away to Londonderry. Derry is supposedly the last completely walled city still in existence in Britain. The first thing I did was walk all the way around the city on top of the wall. It still looked like a wall that men with bows and arrows would stand on and shoot at the enemies through the cracks at the top of the wall. As I walked around the wall there were a few people in period costumes from the 17th century. They were acting as someone would back in those days.
I had heard about the age-old battle between the people from the North of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but I didn’t expect that it was still on display for all to see. I saw one example of this walking around Londonderry in the form of a tall stack of crates with the Irish flag at the top. When I saw it I didn’t think anything of it really, but someone told me later that in the evening they set fire to the stack of pallets and watch the flag burn in support of a united country under British rule.
Loads of people were late getting back to the ship including me. I took the last shuttle bus out of Londonderry, which left at about quarter past four. There was some traffic as we head out that slowed us down by about 10 minutes so we didn’t get back to the ship until about ten past five. All on board was supposed to be at five....We weren’t the only ones, however, because there was still a long queue for tender boats and a tour bus that still hadn’t arrived back yet.
In the evening at quarter to eight until half past, there was a Wardroom event called Pre-dinner Drinks where the officers were meant to invite any passengers that they wanted up for a drink (you guessed it) before dinner. I invited the mother/daughter team I had met from the Senior Officer’s Cocktails. We had a good chat and I showed them around the wardroom. I could see they were impressed and I told them it’s not bad being an officer on board the ship of dreams.
That night I went up to the Trattoria in the conservatory with a fellow officer. There is Trattoria in the Conservatory every formal night and there are two different menus, which they alternate through. I ordered a pizza that had parmaa ham and mushrooms on it with an antipasti to start.
After dinner me and my colleague headed up to the Horizon for a nightcap and spotted a passenger I had invited to the wardroom Pre-dinner drinks event earlier on. After a friendly chat it was off to bed to end another day on board the Artemis.
I had heard about the age-old battle between the people from the North of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but I didn’t expect that it was still on display for all to see. I saw one example of this walking around Londonderry in the form of a tall stack of crates with the Irish flag at the top. When I saw it I didn’t think anything of it really, but someone told me later that in the evening they set fire to the stack of pallets and watch the flag burn in support of a united country under British rule.
Loads of people were late getting back to the ship including me. I took the last shuttle bus out of Londonderry, which left at about quarter past four. There was some traffic as we head out that slowed us down by about 10 minutes so we didn’t get back to the ship until about ten past five. All on board was supposed to be at five....We weren’t the only ones, however, because there was still a long queue for tender boats and a tour bus that still hadn’t arrived back yet.
In the evening at quarter to eight until half past, there was a Wardroom event called Pre-dinner Drinks where the officers were meant to invite any passengers that they wanted up for a drink (you guessed it) before dinner. I invited the mother/daughter team I had met from the Senior Officer’s Cocktails. We had a good chat and I showed them around the wardroom. I could see they were impressed and I told them it’s not bad being an officer on board the ship of dreams.
That night I went up to the Trattoria in the conservatory with a fellow officer. There is Trattoria in the Conservatory every formal night and there are two different menus, which they alternate through. I ordered a pizza that had parmaa ham and mushrooms on it with an antipasti to start.
After dinner me and my colleague headed up to the Horizon for a nightcap and spotted a passenger I had invited to the wardroom Pre-dinner drinks event earlier on. After a friendly chat it was off to bed to end another day on board the Artemis.
DAY 12
Today was the second sea day in a row and I was looking forward to another quiet day but unfortunately it didn’t happen.
One of the lifts was acting up, but after some time I was able to get it going again. I had to replace a part on the lift cab.
There was Artemis Uncovered from 1030 to 1130, which is an event held in the Atrium where all of the departments set up a table with a demonstration or information about what they do on board. The 3ETO is usually one of the people to host the electrical departments table but since I was on duty today I was exempt. The 2ETOH and the 1ETO did it this time. Our table has on display an electrical motor, fire detectors, a large board with pictures of electrical equipment from around the ship, and a few meters. It is not the most exciting table but we usually get a good number of people asking how we generate the electricity on board.
Today was also the Portunus Gold-Tier Members Luncheon, and unfortunately I couldn’t attend because I was on duty. This is a special lunch in the Coral dining room (main restaurant on board) where only Gold-tier members are invited and ideally each table has an officer host. I usually volunteer because it is a good chance to meet some interesting people and have some good food and wine.
In the evening I just had dinner in the officer’s mess because I couldn’t be bothered to go all the way up to the conservatory. It was Neptune’s Buffet, which means seafood.
One of the lifts was acting up, but after some time I was able to get it going again. I had to replace a part on the lift cab.
There was Artemis Uncovered from 1030 to 1130, which is an event held in the Atrium where all of the departments set up a table with a demonstration or information about what they do on board. The 3ETO is usually one of the people to host the electrical departments table but since I was on duty today I was exempt. The 2ETOH and the 1ETO did it this time. Our table has on display an electrical motor, fire detectors, a large board with pictures of electrical equipment from around the ship, and a few meters. It is not the most exciting table but we usually get a good number of people asking how we generate the electricity on board.
Today was also the Portunus Gold-Tier Members Luncheon, and unfortunately I couldn’t attend because I was on duty. This is a special lunch in the Coral dining room (main restaurant on board) where only Gold-tier members are invited and ideally each table has an officer host. I usually volunteer because it is a good chance to meet some interesting people and have some good food and wine.
In the evening I just had dinner in the officer’s mess because I couldn’t be bothered to go all the way up to the conservatory. It was Neptune’s Buffet, which means seafood.
DAY 11
Today was the first of two sea days before we get to Greencastle, Northern Ireland.
Sea days for the electrical department are generally a bit quieter than those in port, which is ironic because we tend to want to get off the ship in port.
There were absolutely no issues at all with the lifts today. Until about 1800, when I had to put a crew lift back into service after a fault had occurred.
Tonight in the wardroom was an event called Race Night organized by one of the officers on board. The idea is to create an atmosphere that evokes an English darby. A few days before the event, an email was sent out asking if anyone would like to buy a horse for 10 quid each. These people became known as owners and profited threefold if their horse won their race.
The race itself was randomly selected people in the wardroom at the time with a broomstick horse between their legs as the jockeys. Each horse had a different colour and there were 4 horses; blue, red, yellow, and green. There was a “race course” set up that consisted of essentially a 4 x 15 square grid. There were numerous things laying on the grid and if you happen to land on one you had the accept the consequences.
I bought a horse but it ran terrible so I lost my race. I managed to win betting on a horse in a different race. When I was a jockey I rode my horse to victory for another officer. After a few drinks it was off the bed.
Sea days for the electrical department are generally a bit quieter than those in port, which is ironic because we tend to want to get off the ship in port.
There were absolutely no issues at all with the lifts today. Until about 1800, when I had to put a crew lift back into service after a fault had occurred.
Tonight in the wardroom was an event called Race Night organized by one of the officers on board. The idea is to create an atmosphere that evokes an English darby. A few days before the event, an email was sent out asking if anyone would like to buy a horse for 10 quid each. These people became known as owners and profited threefold if their horse won their race.
The race itself was randomly selected people in the wardroom at the time with a broomstick horse between their legs as the jockeys. Each horse had a different colour and there were 4 horses; blue, red, yellow, and green. There was a “race course” set up that consisted of essentially a 4 x 15 square grid. There were numerous things laying on the grid and if you happen to land on one you had the accept the consequences.
I bought a horse but it ran terrible so I lost my race. I managed to win betting on a horse in a different race. When I was a jockey I rode my horse to victory for another officer. After a few drinks it was off the bed.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
DAY 10
Today we were in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was a really warm and sunny day all day.
Today was the roughly-biweekly full crew drill. This is where the entire ship gets exercised in their emergency duties. I am in the boundary cooling party, which means in case of a fire I am partly responsible for making sure that the outside of the area the fire is in is kept cool to prevent the spread of fire to other areas of the ship.
There was a crew tour to the Blue Lagoon, which is a large hot spring that features a geyser as well. The tour was from about 1200 to about 1600. The owner of the area has made it into a sort of spa resort.
I continued on with the fire detection system and the lifts.
In the evening there were Senior Officers’ Cocktails where only passengers invited by officers attend. This event is held in the Horizon lounge at the very top and back-end of the ship. I ended up chatting with a very nice mother daughter duo from Redding, the daughter being one of the youngest passengers I have seen on this ship in a while. Since this is a child-free ship the age limit is 18 years old. They seemed to be having a great time on their cruise and were really grateful to have been invited to the cocktails. There was a 60s/70s theme all night on the ship and passengers are encouraged to air out their bellbottoms and flower shirts and dress up. A few people showed up at the cocktails looking like hippies.
After the cocktails I went up to the Conservatory for dinner and joined a couple of other officers just starting to eat. It was an Asian/Oriental Buffet and it was amazing. I liked absolutely everything that ended up on my plate and I wanted seconds. I was stuffed by the end, but still managed a dessert.
Today was the roughly-biweekly full crew drill. This is where the entire ship gets exercised in their emergency duties. I am in the boundary cooling party, which means in case of a fire I am partly responsible for making sure that the outside of the area the fire is in is kept cool to prevent the spread of fire to other areas of the ship.
There was a crew tour to the Blue Lagoon, which is a large hot spring that features a geyser as well. The tour was from about 1200 to about 1600. The owner of the area has made it into a sort of spa resort.
I continued on with the fire detection system and the lifts.
In the evening there were Senior Officers’ Cocktails where only passengers invited by officers attend. This event is held in the Horizon lounge at the very top and back-end of the ship. I ended up chatting with a very nice mother daughter duo from Redding, the daughter being one of the youngest passengers I have seen on this ship in a while. Since this is a child-free ship the age limit is 18 years old. They seemed to be having a great time on their cruise and were really grateful to have been invited to the cocktails. There was a 60s/70s theme all night on the ship and passengers are encouraged to air out their bellbottoms and flower shirts and dress up. A few people showed up at the cocktails looking like hippies.
After the cocktails I went up to the Conservatory for dinner and joined a couple of other officers just starting to eat. It was an Asian/Oriental Buffet and it was amazing. I liked absolutely everything that ended up on my plate and I wanted seconds. I was stuffed by the end, but still managed a dessert.
DAY 9
Today we were supposed to be in a place called Isafjordur, Iceland. It was scheduled to be a boat port, which means that anyone wishing to go ashore must be taken by a tender boat from and to the ship anchored some distance away. This is common when there aren’t enough berths at the port to accommodate all of the ships coming in. However, it was very foggy at the entrance to the port and our tender boats are not equipped with radar, making it very dangerous to ferry people to and from the anchored ship.
We waited about 4 hours to see if the fog would dissipate, but by noon it had only marginally receded. Therefore, the captain made the executive decision to cancel the call in Isafjordur and sail directly for Reykjavik, Iceland. At that point all of the passengers probably turned to the nearest person and said “The only reason I came on this cruise was to go to Isafjordur.”
I spent the whole morning playing with the fire detection system, getting rid of some faults. The afternoon was spent doing lift maintenance.
There was a movie played in the Wardroom in the evening called “Kick Ass”.
There was pizza, popcorn, and soft drinks.
We waited about 4 hours to see if the fog would dissipate, but by noon it had only marginally receded. Therefore, the captain made the executive decision to cancel the call in Isafjordur and sail directly for Reykjavik, Iceland. At that point all of the passengers probably turned to the nearest person and said “The only reason I came on this cruise was to go to Isafjordur.”
I spent the whole morning playing with the fire detection system, getting rid of some faults. The afternoon was spent doing lift maintenance.
There was a movie played in the Wardroom in the evening called “Kick Ass”.
There was pizza, popcorn, and soft drinks.
DAY 8
Today we are in Akureyri, Iceland.
Every morning when I get to the workshop I check my emails and the hotel defect system. The hotel defect system is a database accessible to all departments where defects can be entered for other departments. So if a light in a passenger cabin burns out, the accommodation supervisor inputs a defect into the system for the electrical department, then the lampman replaces the bulb. Small jobs always go to the hotel defect system. Bigger jobs go to the AMOS system which deals with more important equipment like the lifts, fire detection system, engines, radar, etc.
To start there was a lift out of service this morning. It had gone up past the topmost floor and activated a safety device called the final limit switch. Luckily there was nobody in the lift when this happened or they would have been trapped for as long as it would take me to move the lift back down. It didn’t take me long though because I knew what to do and got the lift working again within about 10 minutes.
Later on one of the 2ETOs asked if I could help him out by going somewhere under one of the main engines he couldn’t fit. I didn’t have much on at the moment so I said sure. Then he proceeded to tell me I’d need to wear a disposable chemical suit over top of my overalls, plastic foot coverings, and plastic gloves. Apparently it would be quite dirty down there, and it was.
It really was a tight squeeze and I felt mildly claustrophobic as I crouched in a small niche under one of the main engines. The job was simple though. All I had to do was remove a temperature sensor from its position in a large pipe (used to carry lube oil to the engine) and pass it to the 2ETO where he waited with a thermal calibration unit. He would make sure the Engine monitoring system was working properly by heating the sensor over the normal operating range to see if the proper alarms were activated in the Engine Control Room. When that was done I just popped the sensor back in its place and squiggled out from the hole I had just spent 10 minutes in.
After that I fixed a low location lighting problem. These lights are situated practically at floor level and come on in case of poor visibility in passenger corridors so that people can crawl to the nearest exit and safe area.
A few of the senior officers went for a round of golf at supposedly the most northern 18-hole golf course in the world. It was such a nice day that many of them came back with sun burnt faces. A fishing trip was also organized and several officers went out tried their luck with the hook and line. A few managed to catch some cod up to 20 pounds heavy. They also returned a bit redder than when they had left.
The food at lunch was hit-and-miss. There was a good soup, cream of leek and stilton, and some good sandwiches. The braised beef was undercooked and the other stuff just looked weird. Dessert was a common cakey thing with custard.
After lunch the other 2ETO and I went to the forward most radar and opened it up to do a routine inspection. This is not my job but I didn’t have a lot on and it was an opportunity to learn a job that I’ll be doing when I move up a rank (hopefully soon!).
Last thing for the day was to do a random test of the fire detectors in one whole zone. The ship is divided horizontally into five zones starting with 1 in the front and ending with 5 in the back. You can think of it in the same way the ship is divided vertically into decks. So I sit in the Bridge Safety centre where the fire detection system monitoring equipment is, and someone else (usually a technician) goes around with a can of fake smoke and tests all of the detectors on a list I make.
After work I went up for dinner at the conservatory with a couple of my fellow officers. The buffet was Best of British, which sounds a bit daunting. It is actually not too bad. There was steak and kidney pie, fish and chips, welsh rarebit, but oddly enough no haggis, among other things. I didn’t feel like much and just went for the fish and chips and some salad. I have been up before and have probably tried everything at some point.
After dinner I went for a quick stroll around the open decks and then headed to bed.
Every morning when I get to the workshop I check my emails and the hotel defect system. The hotel defect system is a database accessible to all departments where defects can be entered for other departments. So if a light in a passenger cabin burns out, the accommodation supervisor inputs a defect into the system for the electrical department, then the lampman replaces the bulb. Small jobs always go to the hotel defect system. Bigger jobs go to the AMOS system which deals with more important equipment like the lifts, fire detection system, engines, radar, etc.
To start there was a lift out of service this morning. It had gone up past the topmost floor and activated a safety device called the final limit switch. Luckily there was nobody in the lift when this happened or they would have been trapped for as long as it would take me to move the lift back down. It didn’t take me long though because I knew what to do and got the lift working again within about 10 minutes.
Later on one of the 2ETOs asked if I could help him out by going somewhere under one of the main engines he couldn’t fit. I didn’t have much on at the moment so I said sure. Then he proceeded to tell me I’d need to wear a disposable chemical suit over top of my overalls, plastic foot coverings, and plastic gloves. Apparently it would be quite dirty down there, and it was.
It really was a tight squeeze and I felt mildly claustrophobic as I crouched in a small niche under one of the main engines. The job was simple though. All I had to do was remove a temperature sensor from its position in a large pipe (used to carry lube oil to the engine) and pass it to the 2ETO where he waited with a thermal calibration unit. He would make sure the Engine monitoring system was working properly by heating the sensor over the normal operating range to see if the proper alarms were activated in the Engine Control Room. When that was done I just popped the sensor back in its place and squiggled out from the hole I had just spent 10 minutes in.
After that I fixed a low location lighting problem. These lights are situated practically at floor level and come on in case of poor visibility in passenger corridors so that people can crawl to the nearest exit and safe area.
A few of the senior officers went for a round of golf at supposedly the most northern 18-hole golf course in the world. It was such a nice day that many of them came back with sun burnt faces. A fishing trip was also organized and several officers went out tried their luck with the hook and line. A few managed to catch some cod up to 20 pounds heavy. They also returned a bit redder than when they had left.
The food at lunch was hit-and-miss. There was a good soup, cream of leek and stilton, and some good sandwiches. The braised beef was undercooked and the other stuff just looked weird. Dessert was a common cakey thing with custard.
After lunch the other 2ETO and I went to the forward most radar and opened it up to do a routine inspection. This is not my job but I didn’t have a lot on and it was an opportunity to learn a job that I’ll be doing when I move up a rank (hopefully soon!).
Last thing for the day was to do a random test of the fire detectors in one whole zone. The ship is divided horizontally into five zones starting with 1 in the front and ending with 5 in the back. You can think of it in the same way the ship is divided vertically into decks. So I sit in the Bridge Safety centre where the fire detection system monitoring equipment is, and someone else (usually a technician) goes around with a can of fake smoke and tests all of the detectors on a list I make.
After work I went up for dinner at the conservatory with a couple of my fellow officers. The buffet was Best of British, which sounds a bit daunting. It is actually not too bad. There was steak and kidney pie, fish and chips, welsh rarebit, but oddly enough no haggis, among other things. I didn’t feel like much and just went for the fish and chips and some salad. I have been up before and have probably tried everything at some point.
After dinner I went for a quick stroll around the open decks and then headed to bed.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
DAY 7
Today we were at sea all day. I managed to get a lot of work done such as fire detector testing, low location lighting testing, and incinerator safety checks. There was also a brief issue with one of the passenger lifts, but a quick reset seemed to sort that one out.
In the evening there was the Portunus Cocktail party, which is similar to the WOBs, except that there is usually only one at 2000 and only Sapphire and Gold tier members are welcome to attend. Repeat cruisers are very common on the Artemis and there was easily 200+ people at the cocktail party. The loyalty/future cruises women say a few words and the captain also comes up. The same prize is always given out, a set of 6 silver (plated) champagne glasses, to the lucky winner of a raffle that includes only those who showed up to the starlights lounge for the cocktails.
After cocktails I met up with a couple other officers for Trattoria dinner in the Conservatory. I had red pepper soup to start and a pizza Regina, which had ham and mushrooms on it, for the main course. Dessert was Tiramisu and a bowl of fruit. One of the other officers ordered a bottle of Bergsig Pinotage for us to drink with the dinner.
After dinner we went up for a drink in the Horizon Lounge followed by one in the Starlights Lounge. The others went for a third in the International Lounge before the show “Les Girls” but I decided to call it quits and head back to the cabin and get in some blogging and German before I collapsed from a busy day.
We are on our way to Iceland and will be docking in Akyreyri tomorrow. As I type this it is midnight but it is still light outside. That is what it is like when you sail near or above the arctic circle.
In the evening there was the Portunus Cocktail party, which is similar to the WOBs, except that there is usually only one at 2000 and only Sapphire and Gold tier members are welcome to attend. Repeat cruisers are very common on the Artemis and there was easily 200+ people at the cocktail party. The loyalty/future cruises women say a few words and the captain also comes up. The same prize is always given out, a set of 6 silver (plated) champagne glasses, to the lucky winner of a raffle that includes only those who showed up to the starlights lounge for the cocktails.
After cocktails I met up with a couple other officers for Trattoria dinner in the Conservatory. I had red pepper soup to start and a pizza Regina, which had ham and mushrooms on it, for the main course. Dessert was Tiramisu and a bowl of fruit. One of the other officers ordered a bottle of Bergsig Pinotage for us to drink with the dinner.
After dinner we went up for a drink in the Horizon Lounge followed by one in the Starlights Lounge. The others went for a third in the International Lounge before the show “Les Girls” but I decided to call it quits and head back to the cabin and get in some blogging and German before I collapsed from a busy day.
We are on our way to Iceland and will be docking in Akyreyri tomorrow. As I type this it is midnight but it is still light outside. That is what it is like when you sail near or above the arctic circle.
DAY 6
Today was Alesund. I had been here on my last contract. The main attraction is a look out at the top of a tall hill that takes about 20 minutes to hike up (if you walk quickly). From there you get some fantastic views of the ship and the surrounding area. I went ashore again this time at lunchtime only to take advantage of some free Wifi in the area to get some emails off to people back home.
Tonight was Skool Disco Night. The theme was of course to wear clothes reminiscent of our youth when we went to school. Everyone british wore something black and white, with varied designs. A couple of male officers decided to come as school girls, which was rather comical and disturbing. Every dress up night there is always one or more people that decide to dress up as the opposite gender. I think all the time at sea effects some people differently.
I initially came with black pants and a plain white shirt, but after a few people showed up wearing some funny costumes I went down and changed into some shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt representative of the school jock. I even grabbed a football (soccer ball) to bring up to complete the outfit. Overall it was a good night but I guess any night is good when the drink flows freely. Did I mention that it was a pour-out as well?
I got to bed late but not as late as some.
Tonight was Skool Disco Night. The theme was of course to wear clothes reminiscent of our youth when we went to school. Everyone british wore something black and white, with varied designs. A couple of male officers decided to come as school girls, which was rather comical and disturbing. Every dress up night there is always one or more people that decide to dress up as the opposite gender. I think all the time at sea effects some people differently.
I initially came with black pants and a plain white shirt, but after a few people showed up wearing some funny costumes I went down and changed into some shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt representative of the school jock. I even grabbed a football (soccer ball) to bring up to complete the outfit. Overall it was a good night but I guess any night is good when the drink flows freely. Did I mention that it was a pour-out as well?
I got to bed late but not as late as some.
DAY 5
Today we were in Bergen, which is a very popular port in Norway. There are always loads of tours in this port and I regret to say that I did not get to go on any of them. Today was just another day on the job. I am still catching up on lift maintenance that was neglected during the 3 weeks between the last third getting sacked and my coming on.
The last few days I have been going to the gym. I alternate between the passenger and crew gyms because they both have their strengths. The passenger gym has cross trainers, a rowing machine, and much more room to move around. The crew gym has more free weights and a bench press set-up. When I feel like a cardio workout I head up to the passenger gym, otherwise I just go to the crew gym. However, the crew gym gets quite busy depending on the time of day. If I go right after work at around 1815 then it can get quite busy. The passenger gym on the other hand is never very busy.
Tonight was Indian Curry night in the Wardroom. Since a lot of officers like Indian food, they decided a long time ago to have an Indian food buffet once per cruise in the wardroom where all the wardroom members could eat in casual clothes. It is usually pretty good and it is nice to be comfortable and relaxed in the wardroom with the other officers as well.
The last few days I have been going to the gym. I alternate between the passenger and crew gyms because they both have their strengths. The passenger gym has cross trainers, a rowing machine, and much more room to move around. The crew gym has more free weights and a bench press set-up. When I feel like a cardio workout I head up to the passenger gym, otherwise I just go to the crew gym. However, the crew gym gets quite busy depending on the time of day. If I go right after work at around 1815 then it can get quite busy. The passenger gym on the other hand is never very busy.
Tonight was Indian Curry night in the Wardroom. Since a lot of officers like Indian food, they decided a long time ago to have an Indian food buffet once per cruise in the wardroom where all the wardroom members could eat in casual clothes. It is usually pretty good and it is nice to be comfortable and relaxed in the wardroom with the other officers as well.
DAY 4
Today we were docked in Eidfjord. I didn’t get a chance to get off but some of my colleagues did and they said they went swimming and played some beach volleyball someplace nearby. The water must have been ice cold but they said it was refreshing.
Tonight was Italian Buffet in the Conservatory and I think it is always the best buffet of the cruise. There are lots of good choices like lasagna, tortellini, fettuccini alfredo, good bread, good cheese, and other things. I joined a few deck officers for dinner and we proceeded to stuff our faces full of food. For dessert I had the tiramisu, which was actually subpar but still pretty good.
After dinner I went down to the wardroom to set up the Wii Nintendo console of Wii Night. When it was all ready to go four of us started playing Mario Kart. We had the steering wheels so it made it a bit more realistic. The people that had never played before absolutely reeked and it took forever for some of them to finish, but it was hilarious watching them try to navigate around the courses swerving and crashing every two seconds. It was all for fun and fun for all.
I called it an early night and escaped after a few games off to my cabin and then to bed.
Tonight was Italian Buffet in the Conservatory and I think it is always the best buffet of the cruise. There are lots of good choices like lasagna, tortellini, fettuccini alfredo, good bread, good cheese, and other things. I joined a few deck officers for dinner and we proceeded to stuff our faces full of food. For dessert I had the tiramisu, which was actually subpar but still pretty good.
After dinner I went down to the wardroom to set up the Wii Nintendo console of Wii Night. When it was all ready to go four of us started playing Mario Kart. We had the steering wheels so it made it a bit more realistic. The people that had never played before absolutely reeked and it took forever for some of them to finish, but it was hilarious watching them try to navigate around the courses swerving and crashing every two seconds. It was all for fun and fun for all.
I called it an early night and escaped after a few games off to my cabin and then to bed.
DAY 3
I am typing on my laptop sitting at a desk in my cabin (1101) aboard the MV Artemis. It is Tuesday August 3rd, 2010. The day’s events are as follows…
Today was another slow on the job. Nothing very exciting to report, but that’s the way I like it when it comes to work.
I popped ashore in Stavanger at lunch time to pick up some things at the local Apothek, which I guess is Norwegian for drug store. Where the Artemis had docked was pretty much right in the center of the town and they called Stavanger the 5-minute city because it takes about that long to walk to all the tourist attractions. It was only a 2 minute walk from the gangway to the shop and I passed a church and a couple of nice restaurants along the way.
Tonight was Thai Buffet up in the Conservatory for dinner so I and a couple of other officers decided to give it a try. It turned out to be pretty good. All I remember is liking the spring rolls…
After dinner we went to the wardroom to hang out before we went to the show in the International Lounge. The show tonight was called “I write the Songs”, which featured songs by Elton John. The dancers and singers were all on form and the show was great. Every show lasts about an hour so even if you don’t enjoy it, it is over before you get a chance to get bored.
After the show we went to one of the officer’s cabins for some drinks and stayed there for a while until we all stumbled back to our cabins and went to bed.
Today was another slow on the job. Nothing very exciting to report, but that’s the way I like it when it comes to work.
I popped ashore in Stavanger at lunch time to pick up some things at the local Apothek, which I guess is Norwegian for drug store. Where the Artemis had docked was pretty much right in the center of the town and they called Stavanger the 5-minute city because it takes about that long to walk to all the tourist attractions. It was only a 2 minute walk from the gangway to the shop and I passed a church and a couple of nice restaurants along the way.
Tonight was Thai Buffet up in the Conservatory for dinner so I and a couple of other officers decided to give it a try. It turned out to be pretty good. All I remember is liking the spring rolls…
After dinner we went to the wardroom to hang out before we went to the show in the International Lounge. The show tonight was called “I write the Songs”, which featured songs by Elton John. The dancers and singers were all on form and the show was great. Every show lasts about an hour so even if you don’t enjoy it, it is over before you get a chance to get bored.
After the show we went to one of the officer’s cabins for some drinks and stayed there for a while until we all stumbled back to our cabins and went to bed.
DAY 2
I am typing on my laptop sitting at a desk in my cabin (1101) aboard the MV Artemis. It is Monday August 2nd, 2010. The day’s events are as follows…
Today started off badly because I woke up late again, causing me to miss breakfast again. I guess I am still in vacation mode.
It was a pretty slow day at work. All the lifts are working well at the moment. There are no major faults on the fire detection system. Life is good.
There was an email sent out yesterday by the tours manager asking anyone interested in being a tour escort to come to a training session to learn how to do it. A tour escort is someone who goes on a passenger tour and helps out to make sure the passengers have a good time. Generally it just means you make sure everyone meets up at the proper places and times and note down any complaints they may have.
I attended the training session at 1815 in the tours office and it literally only took 15 minutes to complete - probably because the tours manager Sam Craven (woman) was up to her elbows in paper work. I was given a booklet of all the passenger tours available for the entire cruise, which I could request to be an escort for. If there are lots of requests for one tour I won’t always get what I want, so I need to put down a few back-up choices. I asked for Dublin, A taste of Dublin and Guinness. I should probably get it so I’m looking forward to seeing downtown Dublin as well as the Guinness Factory.
At the beginning of every cruise there is supposed to be a Wardroom Committee Meeting and tonight it was held at 1900. The meeting can be attended by all wardroom members.
A wardroom member is anyone who is of officer rank and pays a monthly fee of 10 pounds to the wardroom to subsidize events and other expenditures. The committee, however, is made up of only 4 people; the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. There was no vice president at the time so I volunteered for the job and nobody contested it.
During the meeting we decided on some events to have such as Wii Night, Indian Curry Night, Skool Disco, Movie Night, Race Night, Pre-Dinner Drinks Night, and Quiz Night. A few of the nights are also pour-outs, which means a certain amount of alcohol is bought from the bar using the wardroom funds for everyone to drink.
There were welcome aboard cocktails (WOBs) at 1815 and 2015 tonight. I only managed to make the 2015 ones since I finished work just after 1800. At WOBs the officers mingle with passengers and the captain at some point goes up and makes a welcome speech that is almost always the same for every new cruise. This captain is pretty funny and is good at acting like he doesn’t know where we are going; asking the audience to help him out with port names. The whole affair usually lasts about 30 minutes. All the officers attending must wear their formal uniforms and mingle with the passengers. Sometimes you meet some really interesting people and other times you meet the dullest people in the world. We may drink cocktails and eat the nibbles that come around as well, which is a plus.
After the cocktails, I and two other officers went up to the Conservatory to have dinner. It was Trattoria night, which is an Italian menu and the waiters bring everything to you like a regular restaurant. It is usually a buffet in the Conservatory except for these nights that happen a few times per cruise. Officers usually need to reserve a table in advance on Trattoria nights as it is a popular night with the passengers.
After dinner the three of us went up to the Horizon Lounge for a drink and chatted for a while. It is quite nice up there with a good view of the ocean. At about midnight every night there is a disco with a DJ who takes requests.
After one drink we went back to the wardroom to say hello to everyone in there. I stayed for a little bit then went off to bed.
Today started off badly because I woke up late again, causing me to miss breakfast again. I guess I am still in vacation mode.
It was a pretty slow day at work. All the lifts are working well at the moment. There are no major faults on the fire detection system. Life is good.
There was an email sent out yesterday by the tours manager asking anyone interested in being a tour escort to come to a training session to learn how to do it. A tour escort is someone who goes on a passenger tour and helps out to make sure the passengers have a good time. Generally it just means you make sure everyone meets up at the proper places and times and note down any complaints they may have.
I attended the training session at 1815 in the tours office and it literally only took 15 minutes to complete - probably because the tours manager Sam Craven (woman) was up to her elbows in paper work. I was given a booklet of all the passenger tours available for the entire cruise, which I could request to be an escort for. If there are lots of requests for one tour I won’t always get what I want, so I need to put down a few back-up choices. I asked for Dublin, A taste of Dublin and Guinness. I should probably get it so I’m looking forward to seeing downtown Dublin as well as the Guinness Factory.
At the beginning of every cruise there is supposed to be a Wardroom Committee Meeting and tonight it was held at 1900. The meeting can be attended by all wardroom members.
A wardroom member is anyone who is of officer rank and pays a monthly fee of 10 pounds to the wardroom to subsidize events and other expenditures. The committee, however, is made up of only 4 people; the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. There was no vice president at the time so I volunteered for the job and nobody contested it.
During the meeting we decided on some events to have such as Wii Night, Indian Curry Night, Skool Disco, Movie Night, Race Night, Pre-Dinner Drinks Night, and Quiz Night. A few of the nights are also pour-outs, which means a certain amount of alcohol is bought from the bar using the wardroom funds for everyone to drink.
There were welcome aboard cocktails (WOBs) at 1815 and 2015 tonight. I only managed to make the 2015 ones since I finished work just after 1800. At WOBs the officers mingle with passengers and the captain at some point goes up and makes a welcome speech that is almost always the same for every new cruise. This captain is pretty funny and is good at acting like he doesn’t know where we are going; asking the audience to help him out with port names. The whole affair usually lasts about 30 minutes. All the officers attending must wear their formal uniforms and mingle with the passengers. Sometimes you meet some really interesting people and other times you meet the dullest people in the world. We may drink cocktails and eat the nibbles that come around as well, which is a plus.
After the cocktails, I and two other officers went up to the Conservatory to have dinner. It was Trattoria night, which is an Italian menu and the waiters bring everything to you like a regular restaurant. It is usually a buffet in the Conservatory except for these nights that happen a few times per cruise. Officers usually need to reserve a table in advance on Trattoria nights as it is a popular night with the passengers.
After dinner the three of us went up to the Horizon Lounge for a drink and chatted for a while. It is quite nice up there with a good view of the ocean. At about midnight every night there is a disco with a DJ who takes requests.
After one drink we went back to the wardroom to say hello to everyone in there. I stayed for a little bit then went off to bed.
DAY 1
I am typing on my laptop sitting at a desk in my cabin (1101) aboard the Artemis. It is Sunday August 1st, 2010. The day’s events are as follows…
I wake up at 0700 and turn off my alarm clock. doh. I sleep until the phone wakes me up. It is Marian and he asks me if he should call the taxi to take us to the Artemis now since it is already 0830. I say yes and that I will be right down. I could’ve had breakfast if I had gotten up when my alarm went off. Waah!
Marian, Al, and I take the taxi to the Artemis and board the ship. Everything about the ship is still clear in my mind even though I haven’t even thought about it once in my three and a half weeks away from it. I take my luggage to my cabins, and then I take my passport and declaration of health to the crew office. Chimayne is there to greet me with a smile and tell me it is good to have me back and other nice things. My face must not have reflected extreme joy since she kept asking me if I was alright to be back so soon.
I head to the Engine Control Room to say hello to the engineers on the 8-12 watch. It is Patrick and Kieran. After a quick chat with them I go to the Technical Office to greet my head of department the SETO Phil. The SETO tells me the first priority is getting lift 10 back in service since the passengers’ baggage needs to be taken up to their cabins by the stewards during embarkation.
I head down to the electrical workshop to meet anyone that happens to be down there at the moment. I meet the 2nd ETOs Steve and Robbie, both nice guys; former English, latter Scottish.
At about 1830 I get my entire head shaved by the lampman, then I go to the gym for an hour before dinner. I go up to the wardroom for dinner at 2030 because tonight is a special Pub Dinner, which is only on turnaround nights. The food is ok. I had some asian noodle dish similar to chow mein, some breaded chicken, fish sticks, jacket potatoes, and steamed broccoli. For dessert there was some blueberry cake.
It was good to see many of the people that were still here when I left less than a month ago. There are some new faces as well and they all seem like nice people so I look forward to a good contract.
After dinner I studied German for about 15 minutes before going to bed.
I wake up at 0700 and turn off my alarm clock. doh. I sleep until the phone wakes me up. It is Marian and he asks me if he should call the taxi to take us to the Artemis now since it is already 0830. I say yes and that I will be right down. I could’ve had breakfast if I had gotten up when my alarm went off. Waah!
Marian, Al, and I take the taxi to the Artemis and board the ship. Everything about the ship is still clear in my mind even though I haven’t even thought about it once in my three and a half weeks away from it. I take my luggage to my cabins, and then I take my passport and declaration of health to the crew office. Chimayne is there to greet me with a smile and tell me it is good to have me back and other nice things. My face must not have reflected extreme joy since she kept asking me if I was alright to be back so soon.
I head to the Engine Control Room to say hello to the engineers on the 8-12 watch. It is Patrick and Kieran. After a quick chat with them I go to the Technical Office to greet my head of department the SETO Phil. The SETO tells me the first priority is getting lift 10 back in service since the passengers’ baggage needs to be taken up to their cabins by the stewards during embarkation.
I head down to the electrical workshop to meet anyone that happens to be down there at the moment. I meet the 2nd ETOs Steve and Robbie, both nice guys; former English, latter Scottish.
At about 1830 I get my entire head shaved by the lampman, then I go to the gym for an hour before dinner. I go up to the wardroom for dinner at 2030 because tonight is a special Pub Dinner, which is only on turnaround nights. The food is ok. I had some asian noodle dish similar to chow mein, some breaded chicken, fish sticks, jacket potatoes, and steamed broccoli. For dessert there was some blueberry cake.
It was good to see many of the people that were still here when I left less than a month ago. There are some new faces as well and they all seem like nice people so I look forward to a good contract.
After dinner I studied German for about 15 minutes before going to bed.
DAY 0
I am here in Southampton, typing on my laptop, sitting at a desk in my hotel room. It is Saturday July 31st, 2010. The day’s events were as follows…
I spent the morning of my departure packing and preparing myself for the nearly 4 month contract ahead. I had lunch with my dad, which was a good chance to have a final conversation before I left since he wouldn’t be dropping me off at the airport.
I arrived at the airport with my mom at around 1900h Vancouver time. She dropped me off at the domestic departures terminal because I thought that I had a stop in Toronto. However when I went to check in my baggage, the woman looked at my flight details and told me that I had a direct flight to London, which meant I was in the wrong terminal. I needed to get to the international departures terminal quickly to check-in my bags to the plan that was scheduled to leave in less than 90 minutes…
Luckily, the international terminal is only a 5 minute walk (2 minute run!) away. Fortunately everything went smoothly checking in my bags and boarding the plane.
I was seated next to a blonde woman with a heavy Swedish accent from coquitlam who was travelling to Stockholm, Sweden to visit her family. We talked for a bit throughout the flight. She is a landed immigrant and, since she has been living in Canada for more than 3 years, thinks she would like to get her citizenship within the next year or so.
We arrived in Heathrow airport at around 1330h London time a day after I had left Vancouver. After exiting the plane I got my bags in good time, but it was for naught as I had to wait around for my driver to Southampton. When I couldn’t find the driver after 40 minutes, I went to find a taxi to take me there instead. However, when the taxi driver informed me that it would be about 220 pounds I told him I’d go take another look around for my driver. As soon as I went in, I found the man holding the sign with my name on it. He told me he was late because another person he was picking up was delayed coming in on a different flight.
The other person was a guy named Joseph “Joey” Clinton, a third deck officer. We talked for a bit on the drive from the airport to the hotel. He is due to join the Arcadia tomorrow. He is originally from Gibraltar and has only been with the company since last October. He has only sailed on the Arcadia, but after this contract he plans to be transferred to the Queen Victoria for a change of scenery.
The driver was a friendly man who said he was born in Canadian and had spent most of his youth growing up around Toronto. He has been living permanently in England since he was about 21 (he is 53 now), and it shows because he has an English accent now. He drove us the almost 2 hours to Southampton in a Mercedes; I forget the model but it was nice.
I got to the Premier Inn, signed in, collected my meal voucher (10 pounds for dinner woot!) and went up to settle into my room 428.
I went to dinner at around 1915. I called Joey before I went up but he didn’t answer his phone so I thought I would just dine alone. I had just ordered my main course when Marian - 1st Engineering Officer whom I met on my last contract on the Artemis - appeared before me and asked if he could join me. I said of course and he told me that a few other people joining the Artemis were staying at the same place. Martyn Davies, Al Baterna, Malcolm Draper, are the ones he mentioned.
After we finished dinner we spotted Al sitting at a table and had a few friendly words with him.
Marian and I went for an evening stroll down High Street and found a few pubs that looked promising. The first one we decided to go into was being used for a private party and so they wouldn’t let us in. Boo. The next one was ok and it was probably better because it was huge inside. There were people celebrating a stag and some women dressed up as nuns, which seemed to liven up the place.
I only had one Guinness and Marian a Foster’s. We talked about how we each had spent our leave. He told me he spent a week in Varna on the beach and the rest of the time in his city just chilling.
After we finished our drinks we wandered back to the hotel and decided to meet in the lobby at around 0830 to call a taxi to take us to the Artemis.
I spent the morning of my departure packing and preparing myself for the nearly 4 month contract ahead. I had lunch with my dad, which was a good chance to have a final conversation before I left since he wouldn’t be dropping me off at the airport.
I arrived at the airport with my mom at around 1900h Vancouver time. She dropped me off at the domestic departures terminal because I thought that I had a stop in Toronto. However when I went to check in my baggage, the woman looked at my flight details and told me that I had a direct flight to London, which meant I was in the wrong terminal. I needed to get to the international departures terminal quickly to check-in my bags to the plan that was scheduled to leave in less than 90 minutes…
Luckily, the international terminal is only a 5 minute walk (2 minute run!) away. Fortunately everything went smoothly checking in my bags and boarding the plane.
I was seated next to a blonde woman with a heavy Swedish accent from coquitlam who was travelling to Stockholm, Sweden to visit her family. We talked for a bit throughout the flight. She is a landed immigrant and, since she has been living in Canada for more than 3 years, thinks she would like to get her citizenship within the next year or so.
We arrived in Heathrow airport at around 1330h London time a day after I had left Vancouver. After exiting the plane I got my bags in good time, but it was for naught as I had to wait around for my driver to Southampton. When I couldn’t find the driver after 40 minutes, I went to find a taxi to take me there instead. However, when the taxi driver informed me that it would be about 220 pounds I told him I’d go take another look around for my driver. As soon as I went in, I found the man holding the sign with my name on it. He told me he was late because another person he was picking up was delayed coming in on a different flight.
The other person was a guy named Joseph “Joey” Clinton, a third deck officer. We talked for a bit on the drive from the airport to the hotel. He is due to join the Arcadia tomorrow. He is originally from Gibraltar and has only been with the company since last October. He has only sailed on the Arcadia, but after this contract he plans to be transferred to the Queen Victoria for a change of scenery.
The driver was a friendly man who said he was born in Canadian and had spent most of his youth growing up around Toronto. He has been living permanently in England since he was about 21 (he is 53 now), and it shows because he has an English accent now. He drove us the almost 2 hours to Southampton in a Mercedes; I forget the model but it was nice.
I got to the Premier Inn, signed in, collected my meal voucher (10 pounds for dinner woot!) and went up to settle into my room 428.
I went to dinner at around 1915. I called Joey before I went up but he didn’t answer his phone so I thought I would just dine alone. I had just ordered my main course when Marian - 1st Engineering Officer whom I met on my last contract on the Artemis - appeared before me and asked if he could join me. I said of course and he told me that a few other people joining the Artemis were staying at the same place. Martyn Davies, Al Baterna, Malcolm Draper, are the ones he mentioned.
After we finished dinner we spotted Al sitting at a table and had a few friendly words with him.
Marian and I went for an evening stroll down High Street and found a few pubs that looked promising. The first one we decided to go into was being used for a private party and so they wouldn’t let us in. Boo. The next one was ok and it was probably better because it was huge inside. There were people celebrating a stag and some women dressed up as nuns, which seemed to liven up the place.
I only had one Guinness and Marian a Foster’s. We talked about how we each had spent our leave. He told me he spent a week in Varna on the beach and the rest of the time in his city just chilling.
After we finished our drinks we wandered back to the hotel and decided to meet in the lobby at around 0830 to call a taxi to take us to the Artemis.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Vancouver
I left the MV Artemis on July 4th 2010 after 134 days on her. My flight was at 1700 London time and I arrived back in Vancouver 1800 Vancouver time.
The evening I arrived it was mild and partly cloudy, probably about 18 degrees Celsius. Starting the next day was to be the most consecutive days of nice weather I can remember in a long time; right up until my premature return to the Artemis…
Coming home this time was different than any other time because I was going to be staying with my mom instead of my dad for the first time. I was excited about this because my mom and I get along so well.
The first week at home was relaxed and peaceful. On the Wednesday I had lunch with my grandma and bride-to-be sister in White Rock. The weather was great so we also went down to the beach and caught some rays. The rest of the week I spent some time trying to organize my room at my dad’s place and make room at my mom’s place to put everything. When my grandma passed away last November, she left behind a lot of things that I would like to keep but am struggling to find places for.
On the 13th I got a call from a friend in Vancouver I met on the ship inviting me to join her and her fiancée to her aunt’s mobile home at Cultus Lake. I said that would be great and to let me know when they wanted to set off. We set off the next day (the 14th) at around noon and made it to the lake at about 1400. We stayed until about the same time on the 16th. In that time we swam in the lake, went to the waterslides, disputed a parking ticket, played mini golf, compared ice cream/gelato from three different vendors that were within a few hundred meters of each other, and chilled out with some Palm Bay and super fruit smoothies. I think we all agreed then and there that it would be great to have a place of our own around there. It was a nice three days.
It was only slightly marred by the fact that the very morning before we set off to Cultus Lake the Carnival Head office called me and asked if I could come back early to replace the fellow who had replaced me less than 10 days ago because of an incident which resulted in him being disembarked. Well I can only hope that something good happens in the first two weeks of my extended contract to make me say “everything happens for a reason”.
From when I got back on Friday the 16th until Wednesday, I just chilled at my mom’s place in the West End. I started to paint the living room white and at that time we hadn’t yet decided on a trim colour. I would also lay out in the sun for about an hour every couple of days, which was really nice and relaxing. I got more tanned in Vancouver than I did in the Mediterranean. I generally don’t like taking vitamins but D I do.
Wednesday the 21st was the first firework display put on for the Celebration of Light competition held at English Bay in Vancouver. I have been lucky enough throughout my life to see it every year and I have never been disappointed. The weather was amazing, the crowds were blazing; it was a great atmosphere.
Thursday was the rehearsal for my sister’s wedding and it was the first one I had ever gone to. The Reverend that was presiding over the wedding was very funny, but he could have been a bit more sensitive to the situation and avoided saying things like “Don’t come too early or you might change your mind” to my sister, or “I’ve actually seen more men than women chicken out and not show up to their weddings.” to my sister’s fiancée. Since my sister and her fiancée are so solid his jokes actually eased the tension because we could all laugh a little.
The wedding was held in Steveston, Richmond about a 10 minute walk away from the Fisherman’s Wharf. I had been asked to be a groomsman from the very beginning, which was quite an honour. I was prepared to do everything in my power to make the wedding a success. Unfortunately I couldn’t follow through because I spent all but the three weeks right before the wedding halfway across the world working on the MV Artemis. I did manage to deliver some very important flowers the morning of the wedding to the bride’s headquarters.
When it came to the wedding I knew I wanted to give a short speech at the reception to make the occasion more memorable since I am not usually one for public speaking. I did follow through with that plan and everyone told me afterwards it was good, so it felt nice to contribute something unique to the event.
Besides the wedding itself, it was great to see practically my whole family again all in one place. It is just too bad there wasn’t more time to spend with them.
The next day after the wedding, which was Sunday, some of the family from the bride and groom gathered for a barbecue lunch, hosted by the mother of the groom. It was a good time.
The week was another slow but enjoyable one, involving more painting of the apartment, as well as going to the gym. The highlights of the week were watching a pre-screening of “Scott Pilgrim Vs the World” on Monday and watching the fireworks on Wednesday.
I spent most the afternoon on Monday with a girl from Germany who is staying with my aunt in Vancouver as a foreign exchange student here to learn English. She was really nice and I was able to practice with her some of the German I learnt a couple of years ago, which was a bit rusty. I feel inspired again to finish what I started and learn German more thoroughly so that I can go there and experience the culture. I am grateful to my aunt for introducing us because now I have someone I can visit in Stuttgart.
Wednesday the 28th was the third Celebration of Light show and I watched it with one of my sisters, two cousins and their friends, my mom and my friend. Before the show my godfather took me out for dinner at a place on West 4th Avenue called Trattoria. It was good. Earlier in the day I had lunch again with my Grandma, this time just by myself. After lunch I went back to her apartment. I tweaked her computer and we had a game of Scrabble, which she won.
The next couple of days I had to start thinking about getting ready to fly away again to Southampton, England. I was joining the ship on the 1st of August, but Carnival needed to fly me early to ensure I joined the ship on time. Therefore I flew out of Vancouver on Friday the 30th, arrived in Southampton on Saturday afternoon, and stayed a night in a hotel in Southampton.
Before I left for the airport I kept thinking that this was the most reluctant I had felt since joining cruise ships to leave everyone I cared about for 3-4 months for the privilege of working aboard a cruise ship. Vancouver never felt as much like home as it did the last few weeks. When I stepped on that 747 bound direct for Heathrow Airport, it was officially the end of my summer leave 2010. It will be one I remember forever, enough pictures were taken by various people to make certain of that. I hope I have many more like it…
The evening I arrived it was mild and partly cloudy, probably about 18 degrees Celsius. Starting the next day was to be the most consecutive days of nice weather I can remember in a long time; right up until my premature return to the Artemis…
Coming home this time was different than any other time because I was going to be staying with my mom instead of my dad for the first time. I was excited about this because my mom and I get along so well.
The first week at home was relaxed and peaceful. On the Wednesday I had lunch with my grandma and bride-to-be sister in White Rock. The weather was great so we also went down to the beach and caught some rays. The rest of the week I spent some time trying to organize my room at my dad’s place and make room at my mom’s place to put everything. When my grandma passed away last November, she left behind a lot of things that I would like to keep but am struggling to find places for.
On the 13th I got a call from a friend in Vancouver I met on the ship inviting me to join her and her fiancée to her aunt’s mobile home at Cultus Lake. I said that would be great and to let me know when they wanted to set off. We set off the next day (the 14th) at around noon and made it to the lake at about 1400. We stayed until about the same time on the 16th. In that time we swam in the lake, went to the waterslides, disputed a parking ticket, played mini golf, compared ice cream/gelato from three different vendors that were within a few hundred meters of each other, and chilled out with some Palm Bay and super fruit smoothies. I think we all agreed then and there that it would be great to have a place of our own around there. It was a nice three days.
It was only slightly marred by the fact that the very morning before we set off to Cultus Lake the Carnival Head office called me and asked if I could come back early to replace the fellow who had replaced me less than 10 days ago because of an incident which resulted in him being disembarked. Well I can only hope that something good happens in the first two weeks of my extended contract to make me say “everything happens for a reason”.
From when I got back on Friday the 16th until Wednesday, I just chilled at my mom’s place in the West End. I started to paint the living room white and at that time we hadn’t yet decided on a trim colour. I would also lay out in the sun for about an hour every couple of days, which was really nice and relaxing. I got more tanned in Vancouver than I did in the Mediterranean. I generally don’t like taking vitamins but D I do.
Wednesday the 21st was the first firework display put on for the Celebration of Light competition held at English Bay in Vancouver. I have been lucky enough throughout my life to see it every year and I have never been disappointed. The weather was amazing, the crowds were blazing; it was a great atmosphere.
Thursday was the rehearsal for my sister’s wedding and it was the first one I had ever gone to. The Reverend that was presiding over the wedding was very funny, but he could have been a bit more sensitive to the situation and avoided saying things like “Don’t come too early or you might change your mind” to my sister, or “I’ve actually seen more men than women chicken out and not show up to their weddings.” to my sister’s fiancée. Since my sister and her fiancée are so solid his jokes actually eased the tension because we could all laugh a little.
The wedding was held in Steveston, Richmond about a 10 minute walk away from the Fisherman’s Wharf. I had been asked to be a groomsman from the very beginning, which was quite an honour. I was prepared to do everything in my power to make the wedding a success. Unfortunately I couldn’t follow through because I spent all but the three weeks right before the wedding halfway across the world working on the MV Artemis. I did manage to deliver some very important flowers the morning of the wedding to the bride’s headquarters.
When it came to the wedding I knew I wanted to give a short speech at the reception to make the occasion more memorable since I am not usually one for public speaking. I did follow through with that plan and everyone told me afterwards it was good, so it felt nice to contribute something unique to the event.
Besides the wedding itself, it was great to see practically my whole family again all in one place. It is just too bad there wasn’t more time to spend with them.
The next day after the wedding, which was Sunday, some of the family from the bride and groom gathered for a barbecue lunch, hosted by the mother of the groom. It was a good time.
The week was another slow but enjoyable one, involving more painting of the apartment, as well as going to the gym. The highlights of the week were watching a pre-screening of “Scott Pilgrim Vs the World” on Monday and watching the fireworks on Wednesday.
I spent most the afternoon on Monday with a girl from Germany who is staying with my aunt in Vancouver as a foreign exchange student here to learn English. She was really nice and I was able to practice with her some of the German I learnt a couple of years ago, which was a bit rusty. I feel inspired again to finish what I started and learn German more thoroughly so that I can go there and experience the culture. I am grateful to my aunt for introducing us because now I have someone I can visit in Stuttgart.
Wednesday the 28th was the third Celebration of Light show and I watched it with one of my sisters, two cousins and their friends, my mom and my friend. Before the show my godfather took me out for dinner at a place on West 4th Avenue called Trattoria. It was good. Earlier in the day I had lunch again with my Grandma, this time just by myself. After lunch I went back to her apartment. I tweaked her computer and we had a game of Scrabble, which she won.
The next couple of days I had to start thinking about getting ready to fly away again to Southampton, England. I was joining the ship on the 1st of August, but Carnival needed to fly me early to ensure I joined the ship on time. Therefore I flew out of Vancouver on Friday the 30th, arrived in Southampton on Saturday afternoon, and stayed a night in a hotel in Southampton.
Before I left for the airport I kept thinking that this was the most reluctant I had felt since joining cruise ships to leave everyone I cared about for 3-4 months for the privilege of working aboard a cruise ship. Vancouver never felt as much like home as it did the last few weeks. When I stepped on that 747 bound direct for Heathrow Airport, it was officially the end of my summer leave 2010. It will be one I remember forever, enough pictures were taken by various people to make certain of that. I hope I have many more like it…
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