School teachers go through this every year…. Just when they have all the students trained and comfortable, it time for a whole fresh batch of students to march through the doors wide eyed and full of wonder all looking for the bathrooms and asking the same questions. That is what Sundays are like aboard the ship. Between 7-10am the ‘old’ passengers leave to go home and by noon, the new 1,500 Guests file in and take their places. A few hours later, they are asking the same questions and settling in for a week of adventure and exploration. At 9.30pm they attend a big production show in the theater where we are all introduced on stage. I like rushing onto the stage with my team mates with big smiles and waving with lights flashing and music playing. Tonight I went to the late night buffet and shared some laughs with Neil and Natalya who are very nice and friendly. Now it’s time to go to sleep because at 5am I will get up, go to the Bridge as we sail into College Fjord and I will narrate one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. A series of glaciers and fjords that stretch from the sea to thousands of feet in the air. Sea otters will be floating on their backs, mountain goats will be on the shore and eagles will be soaring overhead. At 9am I will host a TV like talk show with the Shore Excursion manager while we outline some of the best things to do when we reach Juneau, Haines and Ketchikan This is fun to me as I feel like Merv Griffin hosting a talk show. At noon I will host a luncheon for singles, a 2.30pm live presentation on earthquakes, glaciers and mountains followed by 2 hours of information giving at my desk in the lobby and then dinner before I walk around the ship for someone to talk with instead of going back to my cabin alone. I am not bored (hardly) but yet I am lonely for some real communication with a buddy of some sort. The passengers are mostly couples and the crew have their friends already. I do realize that I have wanted this lifestyle for many years and it is perfect for me. I feel like I am doing the right thing for me and reflect on the many outstanding jobs and opportunities I have had in my life. Once again, I have one of the most fun jobs on the planet. Sometimes I want to drive my own car and come and go as I please. But where would I go and what would I do? I would miss it here very much. When will I go home? What will I do then? Will I extend my run at sea? Will this be the one and only time I will be doing this? I am not sure how to answer those questions and where to get the answers. The other night I hosted a dinner during formal night at a table of passengers who have cruised the world many times. Sometimes I feel like I am in a scene from Titanic. The accents are the same, the protocol is similar and the guests act just like some of the characters in the movie. I keep looking for Rose (Kate Winslet). I want that INSTANT connection with someone and run around the ship giggling and talking till 4am.Today marked my 1 month on board. It went by like a BLINK. Only 2 months left. Great experiences and memories. Time for bed… 5am comes pretty quickly.
