Tiny Dancer

Tonight I walked into Michael's Club, the preferred Scotch and Whiskey lounge on my ship, to listen to my friend Will play piano. His job is very specific and is limited to this lounge to sing and play for the guests that wish to drink and enjoy the atmosphere of this oaky room. As I walked in for the second time ever- being onboard for 4 months now- he stopped what he was playing, and proceeded to play Tiny Dancer just for the sake of my audience. Not only was I halted in my tracks, but my eyes misted a little as I took a seat to listen to the full song that he played just for me. Tonight, with 71 days left until I am home, I enjoy this place. I think I might make it the last few months...

Beach & Water Park vs. Ashby

Yesterday I spent the day at the beach in Mykonos, Greece at my favorite spot for a little over 6 hours. The sun was hot, the water was cool, and the beer was refreshing.

Today I went to a water park in Kusadasi, Turkey with some of the cast and relived my middle school years while we raced down the water slides.

Days like yesterday and today come along at least once a cruise, and allow me to step back and acknowledge how blessed I am to be able to do this, but then I come back to my cabin and look at the calendar. No amount of beaches or fantastic shore adventures could make me want to go home less. As of today, I will be back in Massachusetts in 79 days...and counting.

Salerno Pizzeria, Spunzillo

It is 1:22 in the afternoon in Salerno, Italy. Currently I am sitting at a cafe called Spunzillo, with free wifi eating really good pizza. So far today I have had a boat drill (which involves every crew member putting on their lifejackets and waiting at their life raft stations to be quizzed on the safety rules and regulations by the deck officers at 10am), an appointment at the salon for a trip to the steam room and tropical shower, and now I am off the ship. After my late lunch and internet practices, I plan on taking an Ab class at the gym, before showering and getting dressed for some dinner and possibly drinks in guest area.

The sun is shining today, and from my seat I can see the Almafi coast as it turns the corner towards Naples. My pizza has mushrooms and basil on top of mozzarella and tomatoes, and the juiciness oozes out every time I cut into it to take a bite. I just ended a video chat with my parents and my little brother, it didn't last long because of a bad connection but it was nice to talk to them at all. A breeze has started to pick up, thankfully as the late-afternoon sun starts to get hotter. There is an Italian radio station playing at the restaurant, and the music volleys from American pop to Italian jams. At this very moment I miss America.

The Parental Visit

July 21st my parents signed onto the Century as guests in room 8214. After waiting in Barcelona for a little over 2 hours, due to the strike in France, my parents arrived at the terminal late but alive. We boarded the ship separately and my parents proceeded to their room while I headed to mine to get ready for boat drill. After such a drill, I sat with my parents in their room for a few moments before they went to dinner and I went backstage to get ready for the Welcome Aboard Show. Our first port was Villefranche, France, a beautiful little town just outside of Nice. My parents woke up and took a look out of their balcony window at the coast of the French Riviera and became instantly aware of their presence in Europe for the first time. After eating a breakfast out of the back deck of the ship, we hopped on a tender boat and headed to shore. Villefranche is made up of little shops and buildings that climb up the side of the hills. My parents and I spent the day wandering around the area doing some shopping and having a lovely lunch of Crepes and French wine and beer. That night we performed our first show, Liverpool Knights, which my parents attended after their early seating for dinner with Kyle’s parents. After the show, we headed to the Hemisphere Lounge on the 12th deck for a themed party with the cast as guests, and hung out there for a little bit with some passengers and our parents. On the second day we docked in Livorno, which is outside of Pisa and Florence, Italy. We decided to take a trip to Florence with Kyle’s parents, and after plenty of travel stress and a very long shuttle, to bus, to train trip, we arrived in Florence after close to 3 hours of traveling. Thought we had every intention of seeing the David, the line would have left us with nothing else to do once we reached the statue, so we headed on and ventured through the beautiful streets of Florence. We took a moment to take photos by the Dormo, and then split up as Kyle and his family went one way, and the Brown’s to another. We visited a certain leather store, and after making some smart purchases, we headed back to the train station. The cab that we took was driven by a very friendly Italian 28 year old who spoke of his love for American rock and roll as he sped through the streets to get us to our train on time. That night we ate dinner at the Grand restaurant with some cast members and both sets of parents, and then wandered around the ship for a bit before heading to bed. On the third day we docked in Civitavecchia, the port closest to Rome. We took both parents and boarded the train once again to head into Rome. When we first arrived, we headed into the Basilica, to see the Vatican. Once inside we saw the Pieta, and many paintings and sculptures that surround the Popes that have come on gone. From there we headed into the Vatican Museum, where we journeyed through 8 different museums of maps, tapestries, and figurines before finally making it into the Sistine Chapel. After gathering the group and grabbing some food for rejuvenation, we caught a few cabs outside of the Vatican City, and paid them to take us to the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and then back to the train station. At each of these places, our cab driver allowed us 5 minutes to get out, take pictures and look around. Once back to the train station and then back to the ship, we called it an early day, and went our separate ways to hit the hay hard. On the fourth day, we docked in Messina, Sicily. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to do there due to our arriving there in a Sunday, so we got off the ship around noon and made our way to a restaurant for some lunch. Eating a sit down meal in Italy for the first time was a big deal for my parents, so we indulged. Mom and I ordered Gnocchi and Dad ordered Ravioli in a meat sauce. We filled ourselves to the brim, and then walked around the middle of Messina for a while before heading back to the ship. That night we had our first interactive themed party, Groove in the Crystal lounge at the back of the ship. Groove is an event set in the 60’s, with songs from the Beatles, dancing from Fosse, and other hits that are meant to take you back to that time. After Groove ended around 11, my parents and I met up back in their room for a little snack and chat before calling it a night. The fifth day was a day at sea that would take us from the bottom of Italy, to Greece. On this day at sea, Diego and I taught a Cha-Cha class in the late morning, of which my parents took. They then went to the pool deck for some sun while I had a tech run and did some laundry. That night we had our second show, A Touch of Broadway of which my parents enjoyed the first show so much, they came to the second. Afterwards I went back to their room to order some room service before heading to bed. In the morning we docked in Mykonos, Greece, my personal favorite port. We got off early in the morning and boarded the shuttle into town. From there we hung out at a café with free wifi for an hour or so, before grabbing some gyros for the road and renting ATV’s. We drove across the island to Paradise beach, where we parked it for the day. We spent the next 4 or 5 hours ordering margaritas and sandwiches, and drinking beers in the ocean with various members of the cast and crew as the made their way to the beach to join us. At around 5pm, we headed back into town to drop off the ATV’s and have some dinner at the Opa café. After ordering a dinner that was so rich in flavor, it made all of our eyes water, we moseyed back to the ship, but not before stopping for three glasses of Ouzo to finish the day of in the right Greek mindset. That night we had our second interactive themed party called Sizzle on the pool deck. Sizzle is a Latin based even, with salsa dancing, the Macarena, and more all revolving around a fiesta. Once this party ended, we reconvened in my parent’s room once again for a chat before bed. On the Seventh day we docked in Kusadasi, Turkey right outside of Ephesus and on this particular day, my father and I made plans to go skydiving with a group of two more people. We met right off the gangway around 2, and caught a cab to the skydiving location. After watching a video and learning the proper body movements for being dropped from the sky, we suited up and met our tandem partners. My father, a party band member Dave, and myself climbed into the airplane and took off for 10,000 feet. After free falling for close to 30 seconds, the parachute opened, and my tandem partner pointed out to me what we were falling over, including the ruins of Ephesus, Turkish beaches, and the ship. Once we landed I had a minor spell of nausea, but it passed as the excitement of what we had just done finally set in. We got back to the ship and got ready for dinner. That night I took them to the specialty restaurant onboard called Murano. We had a lovely 4-course meal with wine and 5-star service. After dinner we walked around the ship, took in the sunset, and listened to the A Cappella group sing in the Cova Café. My parents bought some watches at the shops and we headed to the Rendezvous to listen to the Stingrays play. We didn’t last long because the after affects of jumping out of a plane include serious fatigue, so we went to bed fairly early that night. On the eighth day we docked in Piraeus, Greece outside of Athens, where a large group of us took the two sets of parents to the Acropolis. The hike all the way up was well worth it once we got up to the marble steps and the Parthenon. When we had our fill of the Greek history, we made the hike back down into Athens, and enjoyed a traditional Greek meal with the crew. From there we did some shopping on our way back to the train station before heading back on the ship for an early dinner and an early bedtime. On the ninth day we were at sea again, headed back to Italy. Unfortunately something about the day before got my father’s stomach all in knots, so he spent most of the day in bed. My mother took the dance class that Diego and I taught that morning, and then she watched part of our teach rehearsal. She and I sat in the Cova Café and had a coffee for a while, and then we separated as she got ready for dinner and I got ready for the shows. That night we had our last show, Dance Around the World, and my mother and father both made it out for the first show. Dad got a little queasy again so he headed back, while mom stayed for the second show. After the show I journeyed back to their room for some room service and to check on my father before leaving them for the night. On the tenth day we docked in Salerno, Italy. Kyle with his parents and me with mine jumped on a ferry to Almafi for the day. We wandered around the town before finding a restaurant to stop at for our last Italian meal. After gorging ourselves we made our way back to the street for some more shopping and exploring. We headed back to the ferry dock a few hours later to get back to the ship. Once we got back we showered, had some food and took in our cruise director’s one-woman show. Afterwards my parents went to bed and I joined to celebrate our cruise director’s last night on the stage for a few months before her vacation. On the eleventh day we were at sea again, headed back to Barcelona. My parents and I would soon be saying goodbye, so we decided to spend as much of the day together as we could. I joined them in their room for some room service breakfast, and then remained in there while they packed and I watched a movie. They then joined Diego and I for our farewell dance class, and from there we went back to the room for some lunch. After lunch, we showered, and I gathered the troops for one last dinner in the Grand restaurant with my parents. After dinner, we visited the shops, listened to the A Cappella group, had a martini in the martini bar, and finally made our way back to the Stingrays for one final set. The next morning I woke up at 6:30am so I could meet my parents before they caught their 7:00am shuttle to the airport. After a 2 second goodbye the rushed off the ship and headed home.
It was wonderful to have my parents onboard, and in a way it was like I was taking a vacation for 12 days instead of having my parents visit me at work. They made me remember why this gig ain’t so bad, and that there are definite perks to what I get to do everyday. When they left, they marked the exact halfway point in my contract.
I will be home in 7 cruises after this one ends in 4 days. At this point I have gotten used to the ports that we visit, and I have deciphered where it is worth venturing out to and where it isn’t. I plan on visiting Florence, Almafi, Nice, Athens, and Naples at least one more time and I will see Pompei, Capri, and Monte Carlo once before I leave the Med. I can’t wait to go home, but there is still more for me to accomplish, and by the time that is all done my contract will be over and I will be back on my couch in Ashby, Ma.