Well I've been promising this blog for quite some time now. I've kind of fallen into the routine of being back at sea and if you take a look at the slide show you'll see what that's all about. I am currently cruising Carnival's Holiday ... the oldest and smallest ship in the fleet. After working for Princess quite a few things here were shocking. The first time I saw the cabin I thought that there must have been some kind of mistake or that it was just a temporary arrangement. The cabins are barely big enough for one person let alone the two that they squeeze in here. The dressing rooms are like little closets as well and moving around each other to get changed is a challenge. The stage and the shows are good and the people that work here are great. I've made a few friends and have plans to visit a few of them at the contracts end ... that's going to be one random trip. As dancers/entertainers we do have a few extra duties including: working Bingo games, manning the library, teaching dance classes, running ping pong tournaments, sail away and deck parties, taking photos with the passengers (females only), and helping with the embarkation and debarkation of passengers. It sounds like a lot, but when you split it up between 12 dancers it's not so bad. We are cruising Cozumel, Calica and Progresso with a home port in Mobile, Alabama and I am loving the Mexican sun and relaxation. Right now we are at sea ... we left Cozumel about two hours ago and there are warnings of rough seas. This could mean that we won't be performing tomorrow night as the advisory states an indefinite period of rough weather. Well there really isn't all that much going on at the moment ... I'm living, working, and partying of course. Hopefully there will be a few crew tours coming up to change up the routine we all seem to have fallen into. Cozumel = Barracudas (No Name Bar ... By crew For crew ... No cones allowed). Progresso = Cheap DVD's and CD's and Calica = Good food and Maumitas beach. I hope each and everyone of you are enjoying your lives as much as I am right now. With that said we have a new comedian on tonight and I'm off to see his show in a bit. Thanks for stopping in, Take care & Have fun!! :)

Well It's only been 4 days since the last entry and everything has changed in that time. In Mobile we finally had the singers and the one male dancer join us. One male from the old cast is going to stay as well. At this point we are only missing one female dancer. DAY 1: The first day of the cruise was normal. Boat drill, entertainment meeting. OH they did spring a rehearsal on the old cast and we are required to watch every show and tech run that they do. DAY 2: Today we were at sea and we had a very short rehearsal and then got ready to watch the shows. The shows were amazing tonight and so were the beverages in between. DAY 3: Today was the start of a very scary time onboard. The first sign of a norovirus outbreak happened today. The paranoia and obsessions with extreme cleanliness were just starting. People washing their hands every 20 seconds, not wanting to touch anybody, or eat the ships food. DAY 4: As more people came down with the virus the paranoia and obsessions were in full force today. Our dance supervisor canceled rehearsal and told us to go to our cabins and don't come out. As good as that sounds the cabin my roommate and I share just so happens to be in the middle of a bunch of cabins that are infected. This did not put my mind at ease and I spent the day eating cereal (without milk) and washing my hands, hair, and anything else that I could reach. Day 5: Today it seems better. There are no lines outside of the infirmary, but they are not allowing crew off the ship until we have been cleared by the health people. If we fail the ship will not be allowed to sail until everyone is healthy again. The virus takes 48 to 72 hours to run it's course. I think everything will be okay. I also believe it was brought on by a certain passenger who passed out and emptied his bowels on a nurses shoe. Of course that won't matter really when people look back on their cruise. Well it seems to be contained now ... I haven't heard of anyone else getting sick. We are now in the stages of waiting for everyone to finish with it so that they can come out of quarantine. Ahhh ... this is the life isn't it. After 10 years this is the first time I have experienced an outbreak of noro so hopefully there will be another ten years or more before I see it again. Much love to you all!!! Now I'm off to rehearsals. Have a great day!! :D

Hello everyone, Well I'm here and pretty much settled in. Everything is great so far ... the cast is nice and most everyone on the ship is very friendly. The Holiday is Carnivals smallest and oldest ship, but it also has a reputation for being a very relaxed and friendly ship. Good trade off I think. The cast is supposed to have 8 female dancers, 4 male dancers, and two singers. As of right now we have 7 female dancers (one girl quit already), 2 male dancers (one just passed his medical, and the other one failed), and no singers. ARGGGGHHHH!!! Oh well they will have a ton of work to do when they get here. So the cast is quite diverse ... 3 Americans, 2 Brits, 3 Australians, 1 Canadian, and 1 South African ... I don't know about the ones that aren't here yet. Well we have been working very hard, but we still manage to find time for a drink or two. We are also required to watch every single one of the shows that the current cast performs. Now that we know one of the shows it's weird to see some of the differences between their show and ours. Ok ... the good part ... Two days ago we were granted a long lunch time in Cozumel ... YAY!!! Today we are in Mobile, Alabama and we have the WHOLE DAY off. It's supposed to be for shopping and such, but I am greatly enjoying this little bit of time in Barnes and Noble. I hope everyone is enjoying their day and Thank You for listening to my little ramble. The best to you all!!! Chavonda

THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND!

Hello everyone!! I just want to say thank you for being my friend. I'm flying out tomorrow morning, staying overnight in Mobile and joining the ship on Monday. The first day will be extremely hectic ... touring the ship, safety classes, customs, immigration, and crew sign on. After that I will be in rehearsals until Feb. 10 and I have no idea how much free time we will get over the next month. I will miss you all and I will pop in every now and then to say hello. The six months after rehearsal will be a lot easier and I should be able to get on more often. Until then Stay safe and keep on making life fun!! MEXICO HERE I COME!!! YAY!!!

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Be sure to check out the video or just enjoy the song as you as you check out the rest of the page!! :)

1) PAX: "How do I walk off the gangplank?" CREW: "I dunno... I guess you piss off a pirate." 2) PAX: 'My tour ticket says to meet on the Pier. Where is the Pier?' SHOREX: Well sir, walk off the ship and you'll be on the pier. PAX: 'Well how will I know how to find it once I get off the ship?' SHOREX: Sir, if you're off the ship, you're on the pier! ' PAX: Yes but..' 3)PAX: "How small does my face have to be for a mini facial?" CREW: nope yours is way to big 4)PAX: "Does the ship have it's own electricity? or are you connected to land?" CREW: "Yes madam, all ships have a cable trails behind them around the world which connects to the electricity supply in each country!" 5)PAX: "Why have they put a wall between here and the dining room?" CREW: "Probably to hide the kitchens" PAX: "It wasn't there last night" CREW: (sarcastically: "No, we moved them just to confuse people" AND NOW FOR THE CLASSICS!! 1. What time is the midnight buffet? 2. Is this Island surrounded by water? 3. Do these stairs go up or down? 4. How do I work the microwave in my stateroom? (Its a safe!) 5. Does this elevator take me to the back of the ship? 6. Do the crew sleep on board? 7. Will we see dolphins in the morning? 8. Can we look at the anchor? (When anchored!) 9. What will the weather be like next wednesday? (Erm - how long is a piece of string?!) 10. Can you move the lifeboat from our stateroom window?! 11. Has this ship ever sunk before? (Hmm!) 12. Is the water in the toilet salt water or fresh water? (Why dont you taste it!) 13. Which part of England are you from?...Wales?? 14. Ahh - you're from the United Kingdom...do you know David Smith?!! 15. How do I know which one is mine? (Whilst trying to find their photo in the gallery) If you don't know what you look like by now then you need to be strapped down and beaten with sticks. OK EVERYONE ... IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON TAKING A CRUISE ... PAY ATTENTION TO THESE QUESTIONS!! PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!! :D MY OWN VIDEO ... FROM MY LAST SHIP ... SOME SHOWS AND TIME WITH THE CAST!!

DID SHIP LIFE FUCK UP YOUR SENSE OF REALITY For people who worked on ships and now don't know what to do with their fucking lives because the crew bar sold 50 cent drinks and dollar ciggies and you were at the fucking beach every day!

What do you miss about the ship life? I miss: 1) Late sail aways in Aruba 2) The Lucky Lady and the Rendezvous 3) The beach 4) The instant, endless, often tiring but always enjoyable social life 5) 50 cent drinks 6) A new cast boarding - why was that always such an event...and so much fun?? 7) Late nights/early mornings in the Casino corridor 8) Discount tours 9) Snorkeling 10) Themed crew parties 11) Wondering what sort of trouble the Steiners would get themselves into next... 12) Watching sail away in some beautiful place at sunset 13) Stumbling out of bed in the morning, jumping into the shower and heading out for a day in the tropical sun 14) Getting off the ship in Skagway to listen to the musicians jam at the Red Onion 15) Browsing at expensive jewelery in St. Thomas 16) Wasting money on designer sunglasses 17) Earning money with a higher exchange rate than my country's and not actually having to do anything with it except spend it or save it 18) The Crow's Nest 19) Dry Dock - even though it was hotter than any human should ever be subjected to, and so noisy you couldn't hear yourself think, it was SO MUCH FUN 20) Jeff and Alex being silly and making us laugh till Pepsi (or beer) came out of our noses...never seen two cabin mates more suited to each other! I do not miss: 1) Standing on my poor feet for 18 hours straight on sea days 2) Crap food in the staff mess (CCL)...HAL food wasn't actually that bad at lunch! Dinner could be questionable at times, though 3) Fritz the Grumpy Hotel Manager 4) Boat drills 5) The smell of freshly cooked fish heads in the crew mess 6) Coast Guard Inspection 7) Immigration checks at 6 in the morning 8) The smell of Xenon radiating throughout the ship (Xenon is the sewage processing plant in the engine room! It STANK the whole ship up all the time!) 9) Sharing a cabin the size of most people's closet with someone you have never met before and having to take the damn top bunk because they were there first (although I was lucky and ended up with some pretty brilliant cabin mates) 10) Trying to get into my bunkbed when there was no ladder and I no longer possessed the limberness and flexibility of a 10 year old child...foot on desk...other foot on side of bottom bunk...hoist body up...pray balance remains steady...bang head on roof 11) Extremely unintelligent passengers that asked extremely unintelligent questions like "Do these stairs go up or down?" or "Does this elevator take me to the front of the ship?" or "Do you LIVE on the ship or does a helicopter pick you up each night and take you ashore to sleep?" 12) Leaving the great friends you have met not knowing if you will ever see them again...except on Facebook! By: Christine Gauthier :)

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DAYS OFF (Warning: This one is long)

There are many jobs that are self explanatory. I'm sure everyone knows what a dishwasher is and can figure out what a pastry chef does. Then you have those jobs that are normally referred to by nicknames. I might say the Steiner girls are really looking to get themselves in trouble tonight! WTF?? What is a Steiner girl. So here's a little crew lingo for you. Steiners: the girls and guys that work in the spa Shoppies: anyone who works in the shops Cones - passengers (due to the fact that a lot of them/you like to try wearing life jackets like a hat) Coning - hooking up with passengers I-95/M-1 - main crew deck with kitchens, mess halls, crew bar, etc. IPM - (In Port Manning) Handing in ur ID and not being able to get off the ship. Muster Station - Emergency area where lifeboats are Guest Ents - (Guest Entertainers) - people who come to the ship for a very short period of time to perform a show put together by them. These people also have full passenger privileges and full crew privileges. Turn Around Day - (Equivalent to Hell Week) This is the day that the old passengers leave and the new passengers arrive. The process usually involves long work days, no elevator access, and Boat Drill (more on that later). That's all I have right now ... if I think of more I'll add it later. And to finish you off ... another video of what we like to call normal life!! A TYPICAL DANCER'S CABIN!!!

IN THE REAL WORLD 1) In the real world, you don't have to be back at home one hour before your house starts moving. 2) In the real world, if you vomit people will not treat you as though you have just released the Ebola virus into widespread circulation. Neither will small men in outbreak suits appear to hose down your house. Nor will you have to spend 72 hours locked in your bedroom watching a parade of dreary Meg Ryan films. 3) In the real world Bingo is a game for old people and the rules do not stipulate that only Filipinos can win. 4) In the real world when people ask how you are you do not have to be "Excellent". You could be "not bad", "hungover", "bloody awful' or dispense with words completely and resort to hand gestures (I suggest the Gareth Hunt Nescafe shake). 5) In the real world there are more than three episodes of The Simpsons. 6) In the real world there is no need, on a weekly basis, to simulate how you would respond if your house was on fire (my advice is get out). Neither do you have to stand outside for 30 minutes in all weather conditions wearing an oversized, sleeveless luminous orange puffa jacket. 7) In the real world you will not get 20% discount in all shops. Having said that, the shops will stock items which are useful to you. 8) In the real world Skinless grilled chicken, Fettuccine Alfredo and New York cheesecake are not always available. 9) In the real world you can have a fight in the pub and not be sacked the moment you turn up for work the following day. 10) In the real world people work for five days and then have two days off. They do not go to work one morning and return home six months later. (What sort of demented idea is that?) 11) In the real world you can sit on the toilet and flush it without the concern that your intestines may be sucked out and dragged down to an unknown destination several floors below. 12) In the real world you only need to wear a hat as ridiculous as the Stairway guide baseball cap if you are children's entertainer (or a gullible, guileless simpleton) 13) In the real world flu jabs are not a requirement therefore you do not need to pretend to be allergic to eggs to avoid them. 14) In the real world you have to buy your own condoms (and the post coital cigarettes are a hell of a lot more expensive too.) 15) In the real world relationships can work (though infrequently) 16) In the real world you can get as drunk as you like. You will not be breathalysed during the night to ensure you are capable of dealing with any nocturnal emergencies (eg. Your house sinking or the helicopter evacuation of an overweight American from your roof.) 17) In the real world you do not have to tolerate people setting up stalls selling shells, grass skirts and other tat outside your front door. Simply call the police and ask them to move these semi-threatening vagrants elsewhere. 18) In the real world if tourists are sick you won't be banned from leaving your home any time other than for work 19) In the real world you don not go to work twice a day!!! 4am- 8am then again 4pm- 8pm!! 20) In the real world it is possible to do things discretely. 21) AND.....In the real world alas, beer usually costs more than $1 a bottle. You also can't usually get a hair cut, manicure or Thai massage just by walking down the hallway of your apartment and finding the nearest person offering it!

This blog is going to be all about ship life and the ups and downs of being a member of the crew. I'm going to take you into the bowels of the luxury liners and show you where the fun really happens!!