Tinkerblue

CCL LIBERTY Week 12

July 23rd to 29th

23rd - Pay day, great way to start the week.

Training in Cozumel for the GSM, ASM, trainee ASM, me and the other Promo Ambassador. The training was a mini train the trainer. We learned how to present the upcoming new Just In Time monthly trainings.

Laundry.

Lunch on lido, my usual...Guys Burger and chocolate chip cookies. Not sure what it is about these cookies, I'm sure they have crack or something addictive in them. Seriously I cannot eat just one.

 

 

Update on my legs...so I took the extra pillows and did as my Mum and Trudy suggested, I put them under the mattress. Now it feels like I'm sleeping on a ski jump, can you see the slope of my bed? Anyway it seems to be helping. Although I still cannot sleep in socks. I start the night out with them on my feet but by morning I'm digging the socks out of my sheets or finding them in far flung corners of the room. I'm just not made for sleeping in socks. So my legs still ache all day, and there is still a lump in my left leg, but it's unlikely to be a clot. My toes are no longer numb or cold. Analgesic balm is my best friend. I go through a tube a week. But... I'm sleeping better at night and there's no swelling or redness. That's an improvement.

 

 

My team is off tonight. Again no shows or comedy acts tonight. I had a milk shake from the coffee shop, watched multiple episodes of the Big Bang Theory and finally finished decorating my room...photos, postcards, ship magnets, clay angel, wooden wombat, Curacao duck, purple fairiy...happy now Trudy?

24th - Sea Day. A long day at work made even longer by the appearance of my first migraine in 7 or so years. Don't remember my last. We made target, woohoo. It was close. For the last hour a colleague and I were down on the I95 (crew area) trying to get crew to come up and shop in the last two hours.

25th - home port of Galveston, loading. I was scheduled for liquor pick up so I worked 630am to 900am and then had loading off. When a guest buys liquor from us throughout the cruise we hold it for them and they pick it up on the last day of the cruise.

The shop is not actually open for sales, we are tax and duty free so we can't open in US ports. If we did we'd have to charge tax. Do you know how many times a day we have to explain that to guests? A lot. So we are only open for pick up. It means we don't need the whole team in, only two people. The shoppies who get up early for pick up then are exempt from loading. I'd do liquor pick up every week if I could. In fact I did on Splendor, for almost 6 weeks. Or longer. Maybe it was 8 weeks. Whatever, it was nice not to have to do loading.

Anyway after pick up was done, I went to a local coffee shop, paid some bills, sent some emails and just enjoyed being off the ship. I had plans to do join an historic walking tour. But torrential rain ended that.

27th - Cozumel, my favourite port this contract. Well we only have two ports. Cozumel and Progeso. Cozumel and Progeso. Progeso and Cozumel. The trouble with only two ports is that I get complacent... I'll do it next week, there's always next week. We dock in Cozumel three times in 14 days, there's plenty of time. And then time gets away. I'm almost halfway through my contract, I've been coming to Cozumel three times every fortnight days for the last 12 weeks, and I do the same thing every time. Have lunch and use the Internet. Apart from the fishy pedicure. So this is the last time I just have lunch and use the Internet. I need to swim in the ocean.. I need to snorkel with the fish. I need to be awed by an ancient pyramid. I need to do more... Lets see how that goes.

Came into work early. Victoria and I are presenting the monthly training tomorrow and we needed to prepare for it.

Crew bingo after work. Siele won a Samsung S7 phone, Marko won an iPad, someone else won JBL speakers, Beats headset, a Lenovo laptop, and $3000.00. I didn't win. 

28th - Tab A boat drill in Progreso. Everyone attends, and we have training. Today the training for us hallway guides was location, location, location. Location of nearest staircases if ours is on fire, location of nearest firefighting equipment, location of nearest phone etc.

Victoria and I jointly lead the monthly team training. We covered two topics. Using Romantic Language and Add On Sales.

29th - Seaday. Off to an exciting start with a ship wide power failure at about 915am. It lasted about 45 minutes.

 

Books read this week:

• Mommywood by Tori Spelling
• Crash and Burn by Lisa Gardner
• Fangirl by Rainbow Powell

 

 

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CCL LIBERTY Week 11

July 16th to July 22nd

16th - Started port manning again this week. Has it really already been a month since I last port manned?

Loading in Galveston, 19 pallets plus a big visit from the office, 10 big wigs.

17th - One on one discussion with my manager, resulting from the one on one I had with our DM and HR when they cruised a week ago.

My night off. Finally my team was off on a sea day night. I watched the show, It's a Wonderful World.  It's the same show that was on this ship three years ago. I enjoyed parts of it, and other numbers sent me to dreamland. Not kidding. I took at least two 5 minute naps.  Plus I went and watched the comedian. He was not my favourite. Then I had drinks in crew bar with my roommate, Angelique.

18th - Laundry day in Cozumel.

Black and White crew party in the Hot and Cool Night Club. It was a good night - lots of dancing, drinking and pizza. Yes, I dressed in black and white.

20th - training for deputy crew team leaders. It lasted about 30 minutes and was to remind us how to launch the life rafts in an emergency.

All cruise I've been training our latest shoppie to sign on in the liquor shop. He's on his second contract and I worked with him before on Splendor. It was fun to train someone again, even if he does frustrate the hell out me sometimes. Most of the time. :)

Books read this week:

• The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
• Private Down Under by James Patterson and Michael White
• Legacy of Silence by Belva Plain

I have a "books to read" bingo card somewhere. I should dig it out and see if I can dot any squares.

 

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CCL LIBERTY Week 10

July 9th to July 15th

9th - Tab D boat drill.

After boat drill I did laundry and then went out for coffee, fresh air and sunshine in Cozumel and Internet...

I finally got access to my temporary ocean pay card. Which is a good thing considering tomorrow is pay day.

10th - Our District Manager has been cruising with us this cruise. She had one on one conversations with most of us today. I had a few questions. Of course I did, you know me. Two or three were business related and the last was about me. The feedback was positive so I'll see what happens next.

During my dinner break I watched the second weekend of the US track and field Olympic trials and the second night of the US ladies gymnastics trials. I've now watched the US trials for swimming, men's and women's gymnastics and athletics. I can't tell you who is on the Aussie team or even the Canadian team but I can tell you who is on all the US teams.

11th - Galveston. A home port day with no loading and no liquor pick up for me! I should have got up early and done something exciting. But instead I had a leisurely sleep in, woke up without the alarm clock, got a coffee and a slice of lemon raspberry pound cake from Starbucks and took a leisurely walk in Galveston, poking my nose in the boutiques along The Strand, people watching and admiring the little things.

1. A touch of Americana
2. I wonder how a red English phone booth found it's way to Galveston?
3. Beads left from Mardi Gras
4. #LoveGalveston photo stop
5. Big beach chair

I started work at 410am today, about 2 hours earlier than the rest of the team. We need one person on lido deck after the sail away party to promote the shops to guests. We rotate who does it. Today was my turn.

12th - Because I started early yesterday, today I started late. Instead of coming in at 9am, I didn't start until 10am, that extra hour in bed was so nice.

13th - one of my colleagues is port manning this cruise, it's also his last cruise. It sucks to be port manning and not allowed to get off the ship at the best of times let alone your last week. So I switched IDs with him for today. He enjoyed Cozumel, while I saw it from the top deck of the ship.

 

 

 

I had lunch on lido deck and finished my book. There is a big dance group on board this week. Over 1000 dance kids and their families. Some sort of National Dance Championship. They had their solo, duo and trio performances this morning, which I watched.

 

Then I spent the afternoon reading, I read a whole James Patterson book in one sitting.

 

My team is off tonight. I had dinner in the crew mess, watched The Jungle Book on the big screen on Lido and had chocolate cake from the coffee shop. I don't think I've ever read or seen the Jungle Book in its entirety, I didn't realize how violent and sad it is. Still, it was a good movie and I'm happy I watched it.

 

 

 

 

14th - I finally got off the ship in Progreso. This is only the second time. I went grocery shopping and had lunch with two other shoppies.

 

 

 

 

Books read this week: (yep, back to reading this week).

• Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry
• The Postcard Kiilers by James Patterson and Liza Markland

 

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CCL LIBERTY Week 9

July 2nd to July 8th

2nd - breakfast at Star Drug Mart in Galveston. New Orleans Chicory coffee may taste good but it's not my friend. Must remember that next time I'm in New Orleans. The eggs Benedict however were very good.

 

 

Table team had to stay back after work for a "discussion".

4th - lunch at Thirsty Cougar in Cozumel with Angelique and Angela.

It was my teams night off. Last contract when my team had a night off we went to see the show or the comedian or had dinner in the guest dining room. This contract I've nothing exciting. It's all about relaxing and having some time alone. So watching Olympic trials on TV or binge watching a season of Call the Midwives or Scandal or Suits is what I do. Not to mention my night off has so far always been on a port night, and it's the one port night that there is no show in the theatre and the comedians aren't performing.

Crew toga party in the Cabinet bar. Not one of the better crew parties I've been to...less than 100 people showed up. And not a toga in sight.

 

 

5th - Tab C boat drill. We have 4 boat drills for crew. Tab A and Tab D everyone participates. Tab B is for all the specialist teams....fire, medical, damage, etc. And Tab C is for a smaller number of crew, including crew team leaders and deputy crew leaders, which is me. I'm a deputy crew team leader. Fancy title which means not much. I'm assigned to a crew life raft. And the team leader and I are responsible for checking that everyone in our raft is accounted for.

 

 

6th - The District Manager for the gift shops was coming to cruise at the end of the week, so the team stayed late on the last sea day getting the shop visit ready. Well except Angela and I, we were scheduled for liquor pick up on Galveston morning. We had to leave the shop floor at 1130pm so we had enough hours off before we were back at 630am.

7th - Angela and I were on the shop floor bright and early, full of caffeine for liquor pick up. Guest who bought liquor from the shops during the cruise pick their liquor up on the very last morning right before they get off the ship. We had a good laugh this morning... We are a tax and duty free shop so we cannot open while we are in ports. Especially US ports. So we are only there for the liquor pick up, we cannot sell anything. A guest came to the shop because she had packed her families shoes and their suitcases had already been collected by housekeeping. So they had no shoes. She wanted to buy some. She was so mad at us for not selling her any. It was all we could do not to laugh at her, why would you pack all your shoes?

After liquor pick up we did some window shopping in Galveston. Just window shopping, as I still don't have a new ocean pay card.

 

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Summer Reading

I really enjoyed both books. Neither was an easy read subject wise.

The Light Between Oceans is set in Australia. It's about a light house keeper and his wife, their longing for a child, the decisions they make and the consequences of those decisions on themselves and others.

 

 

Trail of Broken Wings tells the story of an Indian family who live in the US. The three adult children project a perfect life to their friends, colleagues, communities and even their spouses. But all three daughters and their mother are victims of domestic abuse, child abuse and child rape by their father.

 

 

There isn't really a happy ending to ether book. Hopeful? Yes. But all tied up in a neat little package happy ending? No.

If you'd like a good read that is not girl meets boys, fall in love, fight, fall in love again and live happily ever after the. Read either of these books.

If you want a good read that is not entirely predictable then read either book.

The Light Between Oceans has been made into a movie, some of it filmed in Stanley, Tasmania. Read the book before the movie is released in September.

 

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Eaten Alive by Fishies - Garra Rufa

 

 

I've seen the Fishie pedicure thingys before and always wanted to try but I've always been too weirded out. Would you like to have little fish bite your feet?

 

 

Turns out they don't bite. They don't actually have any teeth. They just suck.

 

Here's the official blurb...

"The Garra Rufa is a tropical freshwater fish, living mainly in warm waters. Found mostly in Turkey. Belongs to the carp family. Small, measuring between 3/4" and 1 and 3/4". They can grow to 2 and 3/4".

 

Garra Rufa are better know. As the fish doctor because their kisses are able to procure cleaning and regeneration of our skin as well as health, wellness and relaxation."

 

That's a lot of responsibility for a little fish.

 

 

Completely harmless, they have no teeth. They gently suction dead cells from the outer layers of skin without touching the inner layers. The ultimate exfoliation.

 

 

You can even enjoy a fully body treatment should you choose. We stuck to just our feet.

 

 

First they wash your feet and then put little blue shower cap booties on your feet so you can walk to your seat.

 

 

They give you rules to follow...don't touch the bottom, don't lift your feet out of the water and don't kick the fish. The booties come off, lower your feet slowly and away we go. The fishies swarmed and latched on immediately. I apparently have a ton of dead skin.

 

 

It does tickle at first but you get used to it, or at least I did. I was really expecting any results, I just thought it would be fun to try. But after about 20 minutes, timed on a Days of Our Lives style egg timer my feet actually felt smoother and looked less cracky, less peely. For $17 and 30 minutes of my time I'd go again.

 

 

 

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CCL LIBERTY WEEK 8

June 25th to July 1st

25th - Lunch at Alberto's in Cozumel with a team mate

25th - Woohoo, nights off are back. We stopped in the lead up to and for the duration of inventory. It's nice to have a night off again. I started mine with a grilled and ham and cheese with pesto mayo on the lido deck for dinner. Then did laundry while I watched the US gymnastics Olympic trials.

27th - Lloyds are here for an inspection - during the guest safety briefing we saw them wandering round doing their thing. Their thing is grilling the crew to make sure we know what we supposed to do. Luckily we were not in the firing line.

29th - Bulova watch training in Cozumel. One hour. Not very exiting.

29th - Lunch at Pancho's Backyard with Angelique. I had tamales and lime pie.

 

 

Angelique and I then treated ourselves to a Fishie pedicure. The one where the fish eat your feet. It was pretty cool!

 

 

Then somehow we managed to be in the right place at the right time and we each scored a pair of bamboo pillowcases from Cariloha.

29th - Crew sale. After the gift shop close to guests at 1130pm, we stay open for another hour to give crew a chance to shop. Usually we have a crew sale once a month.

30th - Tab A boat drill in Progreso with training.

30th - Lunch on Lido with Angelique

1st - happy Canada day. Drama in the shop regarding breaks and night offs. I was not involved.

My ocean pay card expired on Jume 30th and my new one hasn't arrived. Our paycheques go into our oceanpay accounts so now I have no access to my money!

DVDs/shows watched:

Call the Midwife - Season 1 episode 5, 6 and 7 the Christmas Special.

Call the Midwife - Season 2 episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8

Downton Abbey - Season 1 episode 1 and 2

 

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