Pompeii, Segways and attack of the Ants!!!

What a great but crazy few weeks that I have had on the Silver Wind.

Here's where we left off…

When we ended our cruise in Civitavecchia, Italy we had our newest singer join our ship, Sara. She was a past artist on the Wind before we arrived and she was coming to help us for a few weeks until Laura could come back. Sara and I spent the next few days going over choreography and music to make sure she felt comfortable in our shows. The choreography had changed a little bit, so we had to spend a little time making those changes. I really give her credit to come into a totally different cast, with a different energy, choreography and vocal parts and the next day have to perform one of the shows. She's been a trooper and we all thank her for being here to bring us back to 6 singers. It definitely helps, thats for sure.

Our first port of call was my favorite city, Sorrento, Italy but unfortunately for me…I'm on IPM. Sometimes I really hate IPM but oh well, what can you do..haha. Zach, however, was scheduled on the Pompeii tour that lasts a good 6 hours. I had told him all about my tour that I did the last time I did a ship contract and he needed to do this tour. He told me he had a great day in Pompeii, seeing all the sights that I did. The history behind this place is amazing and if you don't know what Pompeii is, I would research it…its absolutely amazing. Mt. Vesuvius totally covered this Italian city in 79 AD with ash, totally preserving this city and some of the people that we there at the time. It's a very interesting place and if you ever get a chance to come to Italy and see it, its worth going.

Our next port was a new one for me, Trapani, Italy. Zach, Bri, Sara and myself left the ship a little before lunch to explore this port before getting something to eat. This city was another one of those places that really reminds you that you're in Italy. I know thats a silly statement to make, but I'm sure if you close your eyes, you have an imagine of what Italy looks like to you. This is one of those places. We eventually decided to sit down for lunch, after we walked around and realized nothing was open to explore (it was a sunday). The food was wonderful, as was the WIFI…you know that's really important too..haha. After we had a great meal, Jemma met up with us for a little while and we just sat around and talked, enjoying each others company. After a little while, Zach wanted to go explore this port wall that we had seen in the distance so we said our goodbyes and headed to the wall. It was a really cool view of the other side of the island. We stood there for a little while just discussing what a crazy experience we are sharing. Eventually we decided to head over to this fortress that we saw in the distance. When we arrived there, up on a little hill there was a shrine to this turtle that was made our of sticks. Zach and I stood there puzzled. Why was this random shrine to turtles in this fort? There was no sign around that explained…just a turtle made of sticks. Hmmm..okay…anyway, after we left the turtle fort, we headed back to the ship for Zach's tech rehearsal for his cabaret..his FIRST cabaret performance. I was as nervous as he was haha. But before I talk about his performance, I have to mention again (just like my first contract a few years ago) how everyone in Europe has luggage with them. I have noticed it a little bit before now but a lot today in Trapani. Everywhere you went in the city, at least one person had a rolling suitcase. I thought that it was a funny conscience haha. Zach's performance of his cabaret, "Come Fly with Me" went amazingly. The audience really enjoyed his performance and I was sitting on the side of the audience SO proud of him, doing the thing he loves to do…perform. I'm so incredibly proud of him and I know that this is where he is met to be, performing for people. 

Valletta, Malta was our next port of call and what a day it was. Zach had been scheduled the night before on a Segway tour and I was just dying to go with him and experience the tour. Luckily we have an AWESOME shore concierge team and they let me go with him. We took a 30 min ride through Malta to our drop off point. A lot of interesting history with Malta that I didn't know before. Once we reached our location, we were greeted by our segway guide…a really interesting man who was born in Malta, lived in Australia for many years and now was back in Malta. He gave us all the information about the Segways, how to stop, turn, go faster. After we signed our lives away (just a contract that said, we can't sue….oh thats nice) we all had to test our Segway skills. We had an older gentleman that was with us that kept commenting the entire way there that he had done this many times in the past and trying to explain everything to us. Now wouldn't you know, he was the one that was the WORST at the segway and I think went 4 mph the entire time. Go figure. I was a little nervous at first getting on the segway cause it seems a little difficult to maneuver but actually they are quite easy to get accustomed to and a lot of fun. Now we didn't have the normal segways, we had the huge off road segways that went 12 MPH. Yes, thats right…12 MPH. Now you might not think thats very fast, but when you're standing on this platform and all that you can hold on to is a little handle bar in front of you…thats really quick haha. Zach and I had the BEST time on the segways…trying to go as fast as we could the entire time. There were times that got a little interesting, especially since we were riding these on the road, with cars going by. HAHAH. Also, there were times that the ground was not balanced and its really hard to work the machine when balance is a big part of it…oh lord, I almost fell off twice. We had this incredible 3 hour segway tour around the beautiful coast of Malta, seeing these famous places that Zach knew all about, of course. We also tried the local fruit, a prickly pear (from a cactus). They were very interesting, tasting like a mix of a pumpkin and a pear…a weird combo, no? Also, it had SO many seeds, it was impossible to really eat it, you were spitting the seeds everywhere. I'm sure you can just imagine about 8 Americans standing on this beautiful coast trying to talk about the sights and spitting every 2 seconds because of the damn prickly pear. What a mess. After the great excursion and drive back to the port, Zach and I headed to a local restaurant to have a pre-dinner meal. We didn't get to eat any lunch before the excursion and we were pretty hungry. We sat down at a table and before we started to order Zach asked me if I had a lot of ants around me. I didn't see any, until I saw the entire floor underneath me moving…thats right, I couldn't even seen the concrete there were that many ants. We moved tables and needless to say, I felt that the ants were all over me….ehhh. We went back to the ship and an hour later, all of us (except Sara) got to get off and have a dinner together. We went to, Hard Rock Cafe (shocker) and had a nice meal. Zach and I had to rush back to the ship after dinner because I was introducing our cruise directors performance and then discussing the next days events after his show. I am turning into a little cruise director too haha. After his show, Zach and I went up to the top deck and watch the sail away from this amazing port. It really is one of my favorite things to do at night because its so peaceful and beautiful. Love this part of my job.

The next day we were at sea, having the normal duties of a sea day brings and then having our High C's (opera) show that evening. Everyone really enjoys that show and boy, its a hard one to perform cause its not easy singing opera music. Whoosh.

After our day at sea, we eventually made it to Corfu, Greece another new port of call for me. Bri, Sara and I decided to go out and just have a nice meal today, instead of staying on the ship. Unfortunately, Zach was on IPM and couldn't go with us. When we left the ship and made it to the terminal, there was an elderly couple that were following us and asks if we'd hold the bus. I walked ahead to make sure that I got to the bus but it had left by the time I arrived. I felt so bad for the older man, who was about 98 because it was hot and he was rushing to get to the bus. I actually thought he was going to pass out or something, so I made sure he went and sat down in the shade and had a bottle of water. As the bus made its way to the terminal, I was in other world in my head because tonight I was debuting my cabaret in the Panorama lounge. NERVES!!! I just want the show to go well. Once we headed into the city, Sara showed us around, as she had been here before. We walked around trying to find this restaurant and on our way, saw MANY different place that offered fish massages…where you put your hands and feet in the tank of fish and they suck on your feet. HMMMM??? Not quite sure I'd enjoy that but I don't know until I try…maybe next time?? We eventually just decided to go back to the main part of the street and eat at this restaurant we had spotted when we first arrived. We had a great time trying to order cause it wasn't in English and I just played it safe and got a Cesar salad…or what I thought would have been a Cesar salad. Apparently their version is a honey mustard dressing with bread chunks and cheese slices. I thought…Cesar dressing…meant Cesar salad…never mind. I ate it and it actually wasn't horrible but just not what I pictured. After lunch, we had to rush back to the shuttle bus because it was close to our back on board time. On the way back to the ship, we were docked next to another ship. A HUGE SHIP. It totally made ours look like its tender boat…it was ridiculous but hilarious at the same time. After I made it back on board, it was my turn to have my sound check and prepare myself for my cabaret, "Smooth Sailing"…clever, right?? My cabaret is a bunch of my favorite ballads, (such as Feeling Good, I'll Be Seeing You, You Are the Sunshine of My Life, etc) thats easy to listen to while drinking your favorite cocktail. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the show and I couldn't believe how many people packed into the space…standing room only. Makes you feel good that people want to come out and listen to you perform. Love my job.

We were anchored off of Hvar, Croatia the next day as Bri, Sara, Zach and myself headed off the ship for lunch. We had a great meal that I actually couldn't finish because there was SO much of it. We sat around for a little while and enjoyed talking with each other. Sometimes all we need is to get off the ship and enjoy our surroundings to make us feel better…at least Zach and I feel that way. After we paid for lunch, we just walked around the main part of the city to see whats around. A little cart that was selling musical things caught our eye and we headed over to that to see what was there. Some very cool clocks (old Abba and Beatle 45s) were for sale and I almost bought one but they were too expensive and I didn't know how I get them home. OH well, but they were cool. Eventually we spotted a grocery store and wanted to see if it had anything to get…nope. Darn. Guess we'll head over to the gelato stand and drown our sorrows in Italian ice cream…mmmmm, much better, haha. After that, we headed back to the ship and had a very relaxing evening…what a nice day. 

Next we were in Koper, Slovenia for the day. Zach woke up early and went on a 10 mile bike tour the the countryside vineyards which apparently was beautiful. I stayed in bed and slept…I was tired haha. When Zach returned from his tour, we both went off into the old part of town to find a nice place to eat. Walking through this incredibly clean town, we saw a lot of shops, not a lot of people, some beautiful buildings and cafes, but NO restaurants. I swear we walked that old town back and forth and never found anything to eat. EVerything was cafes where you'd get something to drink. Finally, I turned to Zach and said, "Do you think people eat here? Thats why there is no garbage on the ground or people walking around…its a ghost town". Eventually, we left the older town and made our way to the water and finally, FOOD!! We sat down and I had some GREAT gnocchi. We had a great time just sitting around, enjoying our time but eventually we had to head back to the ship for sound check for our BBQ that night. Before we made it back, we saw all the crew members sitting in this one confined area…I know what that means…WIFI!!! Zach and I sat there for a little while, checking up on our emails and such…eventually we got on board and had a great night at the BBQ. The guests are really starting to like our BBQ and its a fun night for everyone involved. 

Well, we finally made it back to where we started this contract…Venice, Italy for our 3 days/ 2 night stay. Of course, I had to be on IPM the first day…naturally. It upset me a little because this was one of the cities that I wanted to show Zach and I wanted to see his face when he saw all these historical things in the city. Alas, you can't have it all, can you? Apparently, they found a great little place right off the port and had some great pizzas. They kept walking after lunch but took the incredibly LONG way to St. Marks Square (if only they knew to cut down one of the side streets they would have been there a lot quicker). He said he was just amazed standing in St. Marks Square because it was one of the places he wanted to see. I totally know what he meant by just standing amazed at everything because on my last contract, I did that a lot. Some of the crazy experiences I had, I never in a MILLION years thought that I would ever experience and then you're there..experiencing it…it's a lot to take in at the time. 

Well, there we have it…another cruise down…many more to go..haha

Until Next Time, 

Jason

Rough Seas + Performing = YIKES

Another week on the Silver Wind and another week of adventures.

Here's what happened…

We had a great 2 days in Barcelona, Spain with an overnight. We don't get many overnights in ports and those are the best times because we can go out as a cast (except Zach who was on IPM) and have a nice dinner. Jemma, Bri and Michael had decided to go out a little earlier in the day and I said I'd meet them later. Eventually they emailed me and told me to meet them at Starbucks on the Ramblas. Now those of you that don't know what the Ramblas is, its a famous avenue of shops and street performers in Barcelona. I was afraid of meeting them at the Starbucks at first because I didn't know if I was at the right one (the Ramblas is a big street) but eventually we all met up and decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe and have a nice dinner. When we made it to HRC, we were told that it would be an 1.5 hour wait to be seated….UMMM, NO! Kinda discouraged we decided to see if the bar area was available to sit at, since they do food service there as well. The upstairs bar…no luck. The downstairs bar…4 open chairs, couldn't have worked better. Had a nice meal and the bartender was really nice to us. There was a bachelorette party there and we bought a few drinks for the new bride…lots of fun. Afterwards, we walked down the Ramblas and I took everyone to my favorite place to get some gelato, which they all loved. We then slowly made our way back to the ship, passing a bunch of great paintings and art pieces along the way…really pretty. When we got back to the terminal we found out that there was GREAT wifi right next to the ship and I spent a little time over there catching up with people online. All in all, a great night. 

Still in Barcelona, Spain the next day, when Bri, Zach and myself wondered over to this outdoor area across from the ship. We didn't know what it was but saw a lot of people over there so we thought…why not. Come to find out it was a 2 story mall with all these great places to eat and shop at. Needless to say, we spent the entire day there. We found our way up to the top floor to get some food first for lunch. Had a great time just chatting and having a great meal. Then Zach and I went to a few shops to see if anything sparked our interest. We went into this one store where I bought a pair of pants and a shirt that I would NEVER in a million years buy. I have been wanting to get a new outfit for the BBQ because I feel that I look too stuffy, not a casual outfit, so I had Zach help me pick something out. I got these baby blue pants with a nice white button down that looked really great together…I can't wait to debut the outfit at the BBQ. After looking in a few more shops, it was time to head back to the ship. Luckily we met back up with Bri at the starbucks and we all walked back over to the ship as we were heading to St. Tropez the next day. This night, however, we experienced our first night with roughish seas. We left the port an hour early (actually leaving some passengers behind because they didn't show up…whoops) and later that night it became rocky. Of course we were performing Abba that night, in those shoes that I feel like Bambi in. GREAT..I already can't walk in these shoes on stable ground, now you're adding rough seas…this should be interesting. Luckily, everyone handled it very well and we finally got through our first show with rough seas…whoosh. 

Zach and I spent the day in St. Tropez together the next day. We arrived from the tender to a different part of the pier that we normally go, so we had to learn our way around from this new location. Zach and I eventually went to the main part of the pier and sat down to have a nice meal. Unfortunately we picked an expensive place to have lunch but I guess it's okay…it was good food. After our pricey meal, we decided to head over to this little beach that we saw as we were sailing into the bay area. After a little while of searching, we stumbled upon the beach. I wouldn't really call it a beach but it had sand and there was a place to swim in the ocean. Now me being the genius I am, I forgot to bring a towel…EHH. Luckily it was really warm this day so I didn't have to worry about drying off (I think I was dry in 5 mins.). We met Giacomo (our 2nd officer) and Stephanie (Financial Officer) at the beach and we had a great time just joking around with each other and enjoying the day in the sun. After some time, Zach and I decided to head back to the port, get on the tender and head back to the ship for a relaxing evening. 

Our next port was Monte Carlo, Monaco and unfortunately I was on IPM…darn. Zach, Bri and Jemma did, however, make it back to the pool that in the middle of the port and had a great day. Jemma even managed to go down the big water slide and got a great photo of that. She's a crazy girl but I love her. After a little while, Zach took them up to see the palace thats way up on the hill and eventually they found the place that has the GREAT gelato up there. Sucks that we have IPM but to look at it in a positive way, you get to relax throughout the day and catch up on your rest, which is important with this job. You never want to get too run down because you have to have the energy to perform every night, either socially or in a show. 

Portofino, Italy was our next port, which is one of my favorite. Jemma, Zach and I decided to go off together and enjoy the day. I wanted to take them up to the Castello Brown and experience the flowers that are in bloom there. Making our way up the hill to this place was so much fun. It was a warm day and we had to take a few breaks because of the heat. I took them first to the yellow church and above ground cemetery that is on the hill. Its so cool to come back to these places that I went 3 years ago and relive the moments that I created the last time, but also to create new memories with my new friends. What a crazy experience I get to have. Eventually we did make our way to Castello Brown but sadly, it was too warm out and the flowers were dead. It was just a lot of paths surrounded by dead bushes….not the prettiest sights. After we left Castello Brown, we were told by another crew member that if you kept walking past the castle, you'd get to this overlook that had a little cafe and swimming hole. GOOD LORD, I think I walked 18 miles to this little hole in the wall cafe that was stupidly expensive for being in the middle of no where. Zach, Jemma and myself were laughing the entire way there and entire way back to Portofino because it was so hot that we felt like we were just puddles when we got back to the city. What a crazy experience hahaha. Once back into Portofino, we decided to sit down and have a drink/get some WIFI. Little did we know that our drinks would total 50 euros. Yes, I did say 50 euros for 3 drinks, with 8 of it being my coke haha…what a crazy expensive place this is but still one of my favorites. 

Our next port was Livorno, Italy where Zach was on IPM. Bri and I decided to go off together and get a nice meal. Bri is such a funny one because she doesn't truly come alive or become herself until she has something to eat for lunch. She always says, "Our first mission is to find a good place for food and then normal Bri will appear". Love it. Well first, we were trying to find a nice restaurant to go to because I was hungry myself and needed something to eat. Eventually we made our way to this outdoor market that a lot people were at. I thought that there were some restaurants on the other side of it so we made our way through only to find out that there was a dead end and no where to go eat. Not happy campers. Eventually we made our way back to the main square where we found this great little restaurant that had some great wifi. I had the best gnocchi I've had in Europe yet in this place and so did Bri. We were both thankful for the great wifi because I was trying to download some songs for my cabaret that I was about to do. Hoooray but also nervous. After a great meal, we went into Zara and H&M to see if they had anything interesting to buy…which they didn't. Oh well, don't need to spend more money on clothes anyway…haha. We then decided to go to the grocery store and get some of the ship life essentials: peanut butter, crackers, chips and chocolate. AH, the joys of being back on the ship haha. We then headed back to the ship and enjoyed a great night on board. 

Bonifacio, France was our next port of call. Zach went off earlier in the morning and had a tour of the city. He said it was so interesting learning about the history of this place and then lit up later when explaining it to me. After he came back to the ship, we then tendered into the city where we then made our way up the HUGE hill to this old walled city. It was full of history and was actually very interesting. Zach and I later found a little cafe where we had a very nice meal. Our waiter was very interested in where we were from and got very excited when he found out that Zach was from the Boston area. Every time he came back to the table, he would call me Ohio and Zach Boston…we thought that it was funny. After our great meal, we walked around the city and went to the beautiful overlook. Zach and I tried to take pictures of the amazing views but couldn't take a picture of what it really looked like. This is why I'm so happy that I get to share this with him because my last time, I had to explain what everything looked like…what my experience was. Now I get to share these incredible sights with someone…which is something that we'll share forever. Its really nice. After our time in the walled city, we walked down to the new port and walked the pier back to the tender. While walking, we looked at all the yachts that are lined throughout the port and we discussed that someday we would love to rent a yacht for a week and just experience that way of sailing. One question though….does anyone have a few million dollars for us to do this? Just let me know…haha.

We ended our cruise in Civitavecchia, Italy for another day of embarkation. This is the day though that we met our newest girl singer, Sara, who was apart of the cast before us. Its nice that she is here as a temporary replacement as we wait for Laura to come back. We have performed for the past 2 cruises with only 5 singers and even though that we have received great ratings, it will be easier to go back to the original way we learned these shows, with 6 singers. 

It's been a great week of great adventures. I can't wait to see what else these upcoming cruises have in store. 

Until Next Time,

Jason