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