Day 17 - One Cruise Down

Hey everybody, sorry I haven't written in a while. Internet is obviously pretty scarce onboard a ship and I've been rather busy.

My job as a Stage Staff consists of several parts. First and foremost, I work backstage for the iceskating show which is called "Cool Art, Hot Ice" and has been running on the Adventure of the Seas since the ship went into service somewhere around 12 years ago. I run the Stage Left track, which means I bring some scenery onto and off of the ice, I give All Clear signals to the Stage Manager, I help with certain quick costume changes and other fabric handling backstage. But mostly I get to see the organized chaos and the wonderful people involved in the show. The second largest part of my job is to set up systems for various bands around the ships. So I bring up keyboards and drum kits and amps and speakers and I set them up according to diagrams that I'm given. I also help do some minor crowd control at some of the events in the Royal Promenade. Mostly making sure people stay off the stages and the stairs that the performers use. (By the way, that is basically the extent of my guest interactions). I have learned how to drive a miniature zamboni, and I can now resurface the ice. And I help change over Studio B (the ice rink) from show setup, to all skate setup, to Quest setup (a gameshow, basically), by moving small walls and ramps and things.

The ship may seem large, but it really feels smaller. With a very few exceptions, my division (the Cruise Division) is the only one that is not about 90% Philipino (sp?). There are really only about 60 people in the Cruise Division (which reports to the Cruise Director), so we all really know each other and there really aren't any secrets. The Cruise Division consists of: Stage Staff and Techs (me), Cruise Staff (the charismatic people who run the guest activities), Sports Staff, Youth Staff, musicians, and probably some others that I am forgetting. I have made several new acquaintances and I'm trying to get to know some more people even better.

Training has been intense and overwhelming. For most of the past two weeks I've had some ship-wide training each morning, typically from 9am-noon. Then I go for my job-related training, which has been overstimulating and confusing. But I think I'm starting to settle in.

There is some opportunity for some leisure time. There is a crew bar and game room with coffee shop and internet cafe. I get access to the guest gym, which is extremely nice, so I try to use that daily. I like to nap and watch movies in my room. There is a staff mess for staff and officers. I have met most of the top leadership of the ship there as they often come for lunch there. But mostly that's were the Cruise Division just likes to hang out around mealtime.

That's all the information that I can think to give. I would absolutely love to hear from people. Snail mail takes forever, if it even works, so feel free to e-mail me at:

mitchell.adam1990@gmail.com

I check this daily and will do my best to respond in a timely manner.

I miss you all! Cheers!
Adam

Travel

I got on my first plane after waking up exremely early on Thursday morning. Boarded the smallest plane I've ever ridden (mine was the only seat in its row on the left side) and rode quickly to Chicago. Apparently we took the scenic route in, which was awesome. (Photos on Facebook). Then a long, uncomfortable plane ride across the ocean, where I landed at Heathrow. The Royal Caribbean travel advisor lied to me about the hours of the bus to get to my hotel, so I had to make an irritated phone call. The operator told me to take a cab. I got into my hotel room at 1:30am London time, where I couldn't sleep due to some combination of nerves, a loudly snoring roommate, unhelpful time change, and heat. The next morning I ate breakfast, provided by the company, and took the hour-and-a-half bus ride to the port. I got on the ship just fine. More to come about sign-on and training...

My Scottish boss says "cheers" all the time, so that's how I'll sign off.

Cheers!
Adam

Important Information

Important Information
My Job: Technical Stage Staff
My Duties: Backstage work, spotlights, cleaning, moving props and scenery, and more which I will find out soon.
Cruise Company: Royal Caribbean
Ship Name: Adventure of the Seas (Voyager Class)
Home Port(s): Southampton, England; San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dates of Contract: September 13, 2013 - April 9, 2014
Cell Phone: 248-872-9751 (do not call or text between 9/13/13 - 11/17/13)
E-mail: mitchell.adam1990@gmail.com (I will not be likely to check any other e-mail account)
I will respond to Facebook when I can.

Emergency Phone Contact Procedures:

• Call Royal Caribbean Main Office: 1-305-539-6000
• Choose HR options
• Choose Shipboard HR
• Choose 6 for scheduling

Send mail to:
Adam Mitchell
Adventure of the Seas
PO Box 019156
Miami, FL
33101-9004

Ports:
Vigo, Spain
Gijon, Spain
Bilbao, Spain
Le Havre (Paris), France
Cherbourg, France
Malaga, Spain
Madeira, Portugal
Cannes (Monte Carlo), Francd
Barcelona, Spain
Palma De Mallorca, Spain
Valencia, Spain
Cartagena, Spain
Lisbon, Portugal
Gibraltar
Villefranche (Nice), France
Livorno (Florence), Italy
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
Ajaccio, Corsica
Cadiz, Spain
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Southampton, England
Oranjestad, Aruba
Willemstad, Curacao
Bridgetown, Barbados
Castries, St. Lucia
St. John's, Antigua
St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Ship Schedule (Link to Excel file): Excel Adventure Schedule

Ship's Page on Royal Caribbean Website: Adventure Schedule Online

I will respond to comments on this blog, facebook, and e-mail when I have phone or internet access. I cannot make any promises about how frequently this will be, because I don't know what the ship has available and I don't know what I will have access to in port. Also, I don't really know how much free time I will have. If I don't respond, I promise it's not personal.