Friday, April 30, 2010

The Real Thing!

The passengers have arrived! Yesterday felt like my first “real” day of work. The past few days have been busy with training, preparing, etc, but yesterday it really sunk in that I’m HERE and will be doing this for the next 6 months! For the most part, it wasn’t a hard day, but it sure was long! The hardest part was definitely the Welcome Aboard Show we did last night. It’s a show they put on at the start of every cruise which pretty much introduces the Cruise Staff and informs the passengers on what activities we have planned for them. The catch? WE are the ones on stage giving them the information! Yes, I’ve been on stage before; Yes, I’ve been on the radio, but it was still a little nerve-wracking! Fortunately, it went off without a hitch! After a long and busy day we all went to the Crew Bar to have a few drinks to unwind- but I didn’t last long! I was so exhausted that I soon headed to bed and passed out immediately.

Today was another busy day. It was a day at sea so that means we had LOTS of activities planned. Since I’m still new I wasn’t responsible for many events- I was more of a helper and observer. It doesn’t sound like much, but after 10 hours I’m exhausted yet again! I’m definitely getting the hang of things and tomorrow I actually get to host some events on my own!

Well tomorrow is another busy one- surprise, surprise- so I am off to bed!!

Xoxo Dianna

Monday, April 26, 2010

Koalas and Kangaroos and Crocs, Oh My!

Friday April 23rd

Today we went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Its pretty much a zoo, but with its main focus on koalas. They have over 100 koalas plus lots of other animals like snakes, kangaroos, birds, crocodiles, etc. We all gave in and got pictures holding a koala- even though they force you to pay $16 for the photograph! A rip-off, I know, but how often do you get to hold a koala?! We also got to feed kangaroos (which was only $1 for food, thank God!). I took a bunch of pics so hopefully I can post them for you soon!

That night a bunch of us went out to the clubs in Brisbane in an area called The Valley. The bars are all right beside each other, one after another so it’s a pretty crazy place to be on a Friday night! We first went to a gay bar and it was hilarious! (PS. 90% of the men on this ship are gay so its going to be a lot harder than I thought to find a man! haha) In one room they were playing “Spice Up Your Life” and “Barbie Girl” and in another room they had drag queens dancing/lip syncing! That was a little too much for some people though, so a few of us ended up going to another bar that was more “our” scene. I’m happy to report though, that I behaved myself and came home fairly early that night (well, it was 2:30, but that was earlier than everyone else!) and I was NOT hungover the next day!

xoxo D

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Settling in...

I thought I would be over the jet lag after one night but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Yesterday at 5:30am I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed! The tough part is that since I have a roommate I couldn’t really do much or make any noise at that hour! I pretty much just laid in bed for a while until it was an “acceptable” time to get up! Fortunately today I woke up at 8:00am so I think I’m back to normal now!

Yesterday me and 3 other girls decided to make a trip out to the Gold Coast for a relaxing day on the beach. When we hopped on the train everything was looking great- but the closer we got to the Gold Coast, the darker the skies got. By the time we got there it was raining and definitely not “beach weather”. We had some lunch, then headed back to the train. Kind of a waste of time and money but what can you do! (Well, check the forecast could be one thing…) I feel like I’m cursed because when I was in Australia last year it rained 90% of the time, too! Yesterday wasn’t a total bust though- last night a bunch of us went bowling in Brisbane which was fun…until the car ride home. There is a frequent shuttle that goes from the ship and into the city every day but we didn’t manage to catch it yesterday so instead we got a ride from a guy who rented a car for this week. The problem was, he didn’t know where he was going so it took us quite a while to get there and back!

There’s a lot of great things about dry dock, like the fact there really isn’t much work to do so we have time to relax, explore the city…pretty much do whatever we want! But there’s also the downsides: with all the work being done on the ship there is no air conditioning, no internet, the gym is being redone…last night the power and the water was turned off from 10pm until this morning! But I think I’m willing to go through those sacrifices to get a little R&R!

I’m not sure how long that relaxation will last though…our new Cruise Director arrives today so maybe he’ll put us to work! I’ve heard he’s a nice guy though, so I’m not too worried! Hopefully today I will get my roommate Jess to give me a tour of the ship…I need to know my way around the ship by the time the passengers arrive!

xoxo Dianna

Monday, April 19, 2010

What day is it?!

The last few days have been a blur...I'm a little jet-lagged right now but let's see if I can fill you in on some details.

We disembarked from the ship on Saturday morning. Since a few of us didn't have flights til late that night we thought we would spend the day exploring LA. Unfortunately disembarkation and going through customs took longer than expected...we didn't start our sightseeing til after noon, but it still gave us time to see the major sites- Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, In-N-Out Burger....oh ya, and for all you teeny-boppers we also saw Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato at a movie premiere!

I had a great flight to Sydney on V Australia...although I slept for most of it! I was so exhausted that I fell asleep before they even served dinner! I didn't even get through a whole movie before I nodded off! Even though I slept a lot, it was still a loooong flight! I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw a few people rummaging around so I presumed we were landing soon....but nope! still another 6 hours to go...

Once I got to Sydney I had to catch another flight to Brisbane which was definitely not as long...only about an hour and a half! Someone picked me up from the airport and soon after I was onboard the Sun Princess. Like I mentioned before, its in dry dock so there are no passengers right now. There is a lot of cleaning, construction and refurbishing going on, and theres lots of other staff still on board to keep me company! I was unsure what to expect with being in dry dock- I wasn't sure how much work was required of me...but it turns out I don't have to do anything! Since our Cruise Director isn't here yet there is no one to tell us what to do so for the next week and a half we are free to enjoy Brisbane. I think we are planning a trip to the beach tomorrow...tough life, eh???!!! haha ohhhh I love making people jealous!!

Miss you all!

xoxo Dianna

Friday, April 16, 2010

Asia. Australia. ME. Yayyyyyy!

This blog post is gonna be quick but I just wanted to fill you in on some details I received last night. Tomorrow I will be flying to Brisbane, Australia to join the Sun Princess where for 6 months I will be traveling through Australia and Asia. I am BEYOND excited! Even though I would be happy with whatever ship I was assigned to, I think this itinerary was my first choice. I have never been to Asia (but always wanted to go) and ever since I went to Australia last year I have wanted to go back! (2 weeks was definitely not enough!)

I join the ship on Sunday but it is currently dry-docked...so that means there will be no passengers for about a week! Its kind of nice though because it will give me a chance to get my bearings around the ship, get settled in, and get prepared for when the passengers actually arrive!

I can't believe this week is almost over. I have met some amazing people and its a little sad that we will all be separated tomorrow. I'm sure I will meet more great people on my new ship, and I know this is just part of the job, but its still tough! We have become a little family over the past week and I'm gonna miss them!

Alright I gotta jet but I will bring you more details- and hopefully some pictures- soon!

Love, Dianna

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

An Eventful Past Two Days...

Tues April 13

Today was a tough day. We played some board games and we painted some pottery. Okay, okay, I know I shouldn’t be complaining but this training is harder than it sounds! Yes, we do get to do fun things like that, but its also very long hours, there’s boring parts like reading the manual, and then there’s the temptation of the sun and pool right at our fingertips!

Another highlight of our day? Getting our uniforms! Please note that I say that with as much sarcasm as possible…they are horrendous!!! Apparently they haven’t updated the uniforms since 1994 so as you can imagine the skirts are high waisted, the blouses have shoulder pads…the only solace I have is that everyone else has to wear it too so I’m not the only one! If I feel like giving you a good laugh one day I will send you pictures of myself!

Wed April 14

Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon yesterday about our long hours of work. Last night we found out that instead of being stuck inside all day today, we would be going off the ship and on an excursion in Mazatlan! It was a special treat they planned for us- probably because they could see us working our butts off and could tell we needed a break!

We went on the “Stone Island” Excursion where they took us by boat and shuttle to a little outdoor restaurant/beach area to enjoy yummy Mexican food, open bar, and of course- the sun and the water! It also included horseback riding which was fun- but also a little painful! It was my first time on a horse so I think my butt is going to be sore tomorrow! We got back to the ship around 3:30 all burnt- but very relaxed and ready for another busy next few days.

Love, Dianna

Monday, April 12, 2010

Frequently Asked Questions!

I know everyone has lots of questions for me (I was inundated with them before I left!) but unfortunately at that time I didn’t have much information to give you! Now that I’m actually on the ship some of my (and your) questions have been answered.

Question: What’s the food like?

So far we have only been eating in the passenger dining rooms- and the food is delicious there! We are allowed to eat there on a regular basis if we want, although we can only go at quieter times. But the crew dining room isn’t too shabby either! Even though I haven’t eaten there yet, we got a chance to peek in to see it and it looked great! Linen tablecloths, real silverware…it wasn’t at all what I was expecting (in a good way, of course!) And apparently the food there is 90% the same food as the passenger dining room (minus the lobster and all those extravagant things!) It will definitely be a challenge not to indulge in yummy desserts everyday!

More to come!

xoxo Dianna

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Ship Life!

Overwhelming. I think that’s the best way to describe the past 2 days. But let’s start at the beginning.

Oh no, before I do that I must tell you: apparently NONE of us are actually staying on this ship! We will be here training for a week and then we’ll all be transported to different ships. And even though they know where I’ll be going- they won’t tell me yet! (they say its because there is a slight chance that things might change) So that means I have to go through all this again in a week! Ugh!

So yesterday our bus to the port was supposed to leave at 7am but we didn’t leave until after 7:30 because of someone who was late! We then hit a little bit of traffic (typical LA) and we eventually made it to the ship around 8:30. It took quite a while to actual BOARD though- paperwork, security, information packets….I think it was about 10:00 by the time we actually made it to our rooms! The size of the cabins actually aren’t THAT bad…although I wish the bathroom was a bit bigger! It will be an adjustment but I think I will manage!

When we got settled in we all went for lunch before we started our training. We ate at one of the passengers’ buffets and it was delicious! My plan of eating healthy and losing weight might be a challenge with food like this! I was told that after a while the novelty will wear off- but I don’t know how often I will be able to resist warm chewy brownies with chocolate sauce for dessert!

After lunch our tour of the ship began. The ship is massive and I have no idea where I’m going…but hopefully that will get better with time! I definitely don’t have my bearings yet so I’m very glad I am with 7 other people! We got a chance to observe some of the activities that were happening today, and we also covered rules and guidelines and that sort of thing. Then we enjoyed more amazing food for dinner and a few more activities before we called it an early night! I haven’t had very much sleep over the past week so it’s definitely catching up with me now.

As for my first impressions- I think this is something I am really going to enjoy. The job seems like a lot of work but very interesting and rewarding at the same time. The people I’m training with are super nice and we get along great…even though we will all be separated next week! And as for getting seasick- I can feel the boat rocking sometimes and its making me feel a little “weird”, but I wouldn’t say I feel sick. It was a strange feeling when I went to bed though… It reminded me of when you’re drunk and you lay in bed and close your eyes, but the room is still spinning! Just another thing I have to get used to I guess!

Today was much of the same as yesterday- more reading our manual, observing the activities, eating lots of good food…I can’t believe its only my 2nd day here! We have done and seen so much already but I know there is lots more to come so stay tuned!

Xoxo Dianna

Friday, April 9, 2010

My New Adventure!

So I’ve decided to start up my blog again- although I guess it shouldn’t be called “Born to Fly”…maybe “Born to Float”?! (haha gotta thank my cousin Adam for that one!) I don’t know if I will be blogging every single day like I did when I was in Europe, but if I have a story to tell I will definitely be putting it up here for you guys! It’s been a looooong day, so here’s what happened!

I actually managed to get some sleep last night- even if it was only 3 hours! On the way to the airport we hit a raccoon- I started to freak out that it was a “bad omen”…but luckily everything has been going smooth so far! (knock on wood) I got to the airport two and a half hours before my flight…luckily I didn’t get there any earlier, though! It’s so silly- they tell you to get there THREE HOURS before your flight…yet they don’t say that US Customs doesn’t open until 4:30am. So if you actually followed their directions, you would’ve ended up waiting in line for an hour!

I was a little unsure about what I would encounter at customs since this was my first time taking a trip for “business”. But it turned out to be a breeze! I breathed a sigh of relief though when I went up to the customs officer and he said “Where’s your husband?” and then he did the Joey from Friends “How you doin’?” line. It was a little much for 4:30 in the morning, but I didn’t want to cause any problems so I just smiled and giggled! Haha

So not only did Princess book me on the world’s earliest flight, but they also made me connect in Charlotte, North Carolina! Yes, if you know anything about geography it was totally out of the way! I slept most of my first flight- I don’t know if it was just because I was so tired or all that white noise lulled me to sleep but I couldn’t keep my eyes open! And although US Airways isn’t a horrible airline, they lose points because they have NO in-flight entertainment! No TV screens on the seatbacks…not even a big screen at the front of the plane! They DID have wifi internet though , which I really wanted to try. Internet while you’re thousands of feet in the sky?! How cool is that?? BUT, it was expensive…and I’m cheap so that didn’t happen LOL.

Going off topic for a second-But a little observation I made on the plane today: why is it that the SECOND the seatbelt sign goes off when you land everyone IMMEDIATELY jumps up?? There is NOWHERE to go! It’s the same thing when you’re boarding the plane. Why does everyone want to be the first one on the plane?? Ohhh, humans are so weird.

We landed in LA slightly ahead of schedule- although it took FOREVER to get my baggage so I didn’t get to my hotel until 1pm. (I shouldn’t complain though- slow luggage is better than lost luggage!) I have already met a bunch of people that are also joining the ship tomorrow- and we are from all over! England, China, Australia, United States…I am very excited to meet more of my co-workers and get on board tomorrow. It will probably be an early night for me-I’m pooped already and its only 3:00! Plus we gotta meet in the lobby at 7am tomorrow morning AND I’m sure it will be a long day of training…so what am I doing sitting here?! I should get to bed NOW!

Lots more to come- stay tuned!!

Love, Dianna