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.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

On cruise ships everyone starts their contract at different times. The production cast is the only group onboard that comes as a unit and leaves as a unit. None of is can be transferred or extend our contracts individually because we were hired as a collective group out of Vegas and through Mike Moloney Productions. This is not the case for everyone else. Anyone that works on this ship comes alone and leaves alone. They have a contract that has an expiration date unique to anyone else’s, and to keep too many new people coming at the same time, people are constantly coming in to replace each other. Transfers and promotions also happen, so if there is a position that needs to be filled on another ship and someone here is extremely good at their job, they will be pulled from their spot on the Century and upgraded to one of the higher-class ships.

Understandably, this makes sense on the business end, but for the people here it can be really difficult. We are starting to get to the point in my contract where people we have made friends with are leaving the ship for one of the reasons above. Waiters who have gotten used to seeing our faces in the dinning area, Broadcasters who have been filming everything we do, Audio Visual Technicians who help is with set changes and costume changes backstage, and even our Cruise Director who organizes our schedule and introduces every show. Were loosing them all to vacations and promotions.

One the one side we are happy for them, that they get to go home and see their families or that they get to make more money on a better ship with better conditions, but on the other side it means that we have to start from square one with a new guy or girl. We loose the people who we have started to call family in this house that moves on water, and it isn’t so easy to get along with everyone when your trapped on the same ship everyday. After this next cruise (of which mom and dad will join me), we loose more people then I care to think about, and though this may be part of the cruise ship life that one must learn to accept, it really sucks.

Becoming Old Hat

Today I drove an ATV around the island of Mykonos, Greece to get to the beach. It was amazing, and kind of scary at first, but altogether awesome. The roads winded up and down the hills so that the view consisted of deep valleys and vast countryside, freckled with white houses and apartments.

The next time I will be visiting this island, I will be accompanied by Ken and Karen Brown. Needles to say I am very excited. I have already started to write down the things we will be doing and seeing at each port.

While in the Mediterranean we switch between two different itinerary. The first includes Sicily,Italy; Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens, Greece; Naples, Italy; Rome, Italy; Florence, Italy; and Nice, France. The second includes Rome, Italy; Florence, Italy; and Nice, France; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Venice, Italy; Split, Croatia; and Naples, Italy. The ports are becoming more and more familiar. When we get off at each place we now know the right spots to eat where they won’t charge you an extra 5 Euros because you’re a tourist, the places with free Wifi, and the restaurant owners or bartenders that remember who we are and give us specials on dinners and drinks. The languages are getting easier to separate, although every once in a while I have moments where I say Gracias in Croatia, or Merci in Italy, but I usually realize my mistake and laugh enough so that the people I am trying to communicate with laugh with me.

This cruise life can get tedious, especially because of our 12-day cruises, we only have shows every 3 days or so. Diego and I teach a dance class every sea day but that is only about 4 times a cruise. On other mornings we have duties such as Debark (helping the passengers get off the ship), Shore Excursions (helping the guests get to the busses for their guided tours), and Tendering (handing tickets and managing the crowds as the tender boats take groups of guests to the ports we don’t dock in). With all of this there is still a decent amount of time to kill during the day. I used to take long naps, but these would lead to minor comas, and leave me super lethargic for a little less then a week. As of today I have not allowed myself to take any naps anymore, and I have been going to the gym instead. Having this time opened up for me, thanks to my lack of napping, I have been able to get a lot done that I normally wouldn’t. I can do my laundry when it is a manageable amount rather then a load so heavy I can barely carry it down the stairs. I can iron the dress shirts and other things that desperately need it, and that I was ignoring but still wearing, hoping that no one noticed. I have repaired a few pieces of clothing that needed minor adjustments, and I hand washed my dresses, because the dry cleaning hasn’t been repaired yet. I have also been able to enjoy more time on deck 7 (our crew deck, at the bow of the ship) while we sail. Whether it’s a half hour here and 2 hours there, the Vitamin D gives me more then any 3 hour nap could. All in all, not taking naps is helping me make the most out of my experience here, and allowing me to take advantage of everything this hotel on water has to offer.

There are only 11 more cruises left in my contract until I fly home from Miami. In 2, my parents will be here and they will mark the halfway point of this journey of mine.

The first thing I will do when I get home is stand in front of the open fridge. Then I will grab some fruit and plop myself down on the spot in the middle of the couch in front of the TV. 11 more cruises and 111 more days to go.

A Sunday in Napoli

Sunday the 13^th we docked in Salerno. The Celebrity Eclipse docked in Naples, and among the staff of said ship are the Voicemales (the a cappella group that previously worked on our ship). My roommate, a friend Sarah from activities staff, and myself decided to make the journey over to Naples to see our friends, so we left our ship around 8:30 to make sure we would get there early knowing very well that none of us speaks a lick of Italian. We arrived at the train station at 9ish and proceeded to the automatic ticket ATM, but to our dismay it would stop working at a certain point in the process every time and cancelled our order. We then decided to try the line of 25 or so people while Sarah ticked at the ATM machine again. After being informed by a friendly Italian that we can purchase tickets for a regional train at the news and magazine shop, so Sarah did so and we ran up to the tracks to catch our train. Once we reached the top, we unfortunately realized that we had missed the regional train by 3 minutes, so we then consulted the posted schedule to see when then next train leaves. When we realized that we would have to wait until 11:30 to catch a train and 12:45 to arrive in Naples, we decided to seek assistance. The guest relations man informed us that most of the regional trains weren’t running, it being a Sunday, and that the only way for us to get to Naples within the hour would be if we caught the express train at 10:30. This seemed like an excellent plan, so we asked if our tickets were enough for this change. He then let us know that we would have to pay more for the express rate, and when we asked if we could just pay the difference on the train, he let us know that this was ‘not possible’. So we headed back down to the ticket line where we waited for around half an hour just to have the man behind the window close his line. This created a mad dash to the next window, and from there we waited 10 more minutes before getting our extra tickets for the express train. Having achieved step one, we then realized that we had informed our friends that we would be arriving there around 9:30 and the time was 10:20. Kate then used her unlimited world texting to search for someone who was awake on the West coast, since it would be 4am on the East. After trying 5 or so numbers, she finally reached one of the girls that taught us choreography in Vegas. After she texted her the whole story Nikki agreed to help us out and send a message to the boys on facebook that we would be rather late. Just as the lines of communication were solidified, our train arrived and we took our seats. 20-30 minutes later we arrived in Naples, and grabbed a cab to the port. Once we finally got on the ship and reunited with the boys we proceeded to take a tour of the most amazing vessel I have ever stepped foot in. The Equinox is larger than any hotel I have ever been in, and has more amenities then any hotel I have ever heard of. After the completion of our tour we headed into the heart of Napoli for some pizza and bonding with our friends. A very large pizza, 2 beers, and the most amazing bruscetta I have ever had in my entire life later we wandered around the city for a bit just to end up back on the ship for the last hour of our visit. After watching the boys do their sound check for that evenings show we said our goodbyes and parted ways. Literally running off the Equinox, we attempted two busses, wasted 20 minutes, and ran up and down the same street about 4 times before settling on hailing a cab at the last minute to get back to the train station. We bolted from the cab and ran full force into the station to find out where and when the next train back to Salerno was. Consulted with an information assistant, and found out that we could catch a train in 2 minutes that headed to Capri, but would stop at Salerno first. Stepping onto this train we felt lucky for a few minutes as we thought we had planned out the day almost perfectly. 5 minutes later the lights shut off and the trains engine stopped. Thinking that maybe they were just cooling it off or something we remained in our seats until we spotted the rest of the passengers starting to file out of the front of the train. Joining the crowd, we ran from one train to the next praying that it would still leave in time to get back to the ship. Keep in mind, the last shuttle back to the ship from the center of Salerno was going to leave at 6, and all-aboard for crew was at 6:15. It was rapidly approaching 5:30, and we were just sitting down on the substitute train that should have left half an hour before. After another 5 minutes, we were informed that we would be leaving soon, and that we would get to Salerno in about 40 minutes. This news settled on all of us, as we understood that this would mean serious disciplinary action upon arriving late, and we prepared ourselves for the worst as we took off back to Salerno. The train sped back into Salerno, and arrived at 6. We ran off the ramp and jumped into the first cab we could find, crying out ‘pronto seniore pronto!’. The cab dropped us off 100 yards from the gangway at exactly 6:15. We paid the man, and sprinted as fast as we could to get back on the ship. Such an adventure, racing against time was well worth it to be able to see our friends again.

Monday, we found ourselves at sea headed back to Barcelona. Tuesday in Barcelona I stocked up on toiletries and some clothing that I needed for the next cruise, and took advantage of the free wifi to chat with my family. Yesterday we were in Villefranche, and today Livorno, but unfortunately it has rained both days, so we haven’t gotten off the ship.

Tomorrow we go to Civitavecchia, and some of us will take a crew tour to Rome to see all of the things you think of when anyone mentions the city; from the Vatican to the Coliseum.

Currently we have 12 more cruises until our contract is over, and every other day I find myself checking to see how much more time is left until I can go home. I feel like it is the end of the fall semester in college, when the time drags on and you just want it to be over, but you know the spring semester will go much faster.

On the bright side, mail seems to get here fairly easy, so if anyone is bored with just reading about my adventures and wishes to send me anything from a letter to a picture of yourself waving I welcome the sentiment.

Megan Brown

Production Dancer

Celebrity Century

P.O. Box 019030

Miami, FL 33101 9030

A La Familia

Yesterday I set foot in Italy. We were in Civitavecchia, which is a bout a 75 min ride to Rome. I spent the day in a small internet café right off the pier trying to figure out new modes of communication between here and my homeland. I had a latte and a salami sandwich for an early lunch while I listened to Italian café music. Though I wish I had gone and explored Rome, we will visit the port at least 6 more times so I will have the opportunity when we don’t have a show and a tech run that evening. Today we stopped in Messina, Sicily, but due to teaching a dance class this morning and more tech runs this afternoon, I was unable to get off and visit the nice Italian people. Natalie’s show ran tonight twice, and then we had ‘Groove’ in the Crystal room at 10:30. After both we learned a new section of ‘Dance Around the World’ to replace the adagio couple that left the ship for a cruise to get a visa.

I had a dream last night that my mom and sister were on board, and it was wonderful. I feel like my life here isn’t real life, and that the world I left behind has just stopped temporarily until I get back. In my dream both worlds were joined and I was around the people that make me so thankful for the life that I was blessed with. So, today I miss my family.

Arriving in Europe

On the 28^th of May we arrives at Ponta Delgada, Azores, where we took a crew tour of a few of the islands features. First we visited the botanical gardens, with huge trees that were shipped in from all over the world, and hand made stone towers and tunnels that added a very pleasing aesthetic affect to the garden. Then we headed to the pineapple plantation, complete with 12 or so green houses full of pineapple plants. These varied in size from smaller then my fist to the actual size you get in a grocery store. After sampling some pineapple liquor and authentic juice we headed to the top of the island to see if the clouds would clear from a view of the fire lakes. As we rode up to the top we drove through streets so tiny, our bus barely made it through without taking down a few shudders. The island has been updated with very modernized apartment buildings and structures, but these are then surrounded by miles and miles of farmland and cows. Unfortunately for us the clouds and fog did not dissipate, and so we were unable to see the lakes, but it was still nice to get out of the bus and off the ship for a while.

On the 31^st we stopped in Cadiz, Spain, and adorable town and our first stop in Europe. After being left a map from a few members of our cast, my roommate and I proceeded to navigate our way to the beach in a town speaking no English at all. After a decent amount of time we made it to the beach by following street signs and butchering the little Spanish we knew to ask for directions. Upon heading back to the ship we both realized that before the next time we left the ship we needed Euros, and someone who had been to wherever we were.

Yesterday we visited Malaga, Spain, where most of our time was spent in a McDonalds with free wifi. Normally I would object to visiting an American food chain in a foreign country, but it was important that I accessed the world outside of cruise ship internet for at least a day. I was able to video chat with my mother, father and little brother, which was wonderful. It was good to see their faces and to see my house, but it made the difference in worlds a little more real then it has felt so far. It is gradually becoming stranger and stranger to me that I am across the world from what I call home. Here the sun doesn’t go down until sometime around 9:30, and that’s with the time change. I am some 6 hours ahead of the East coast, so every time I wonder what my family or friends are doing back home I have to consider the time and remember that they are probably not even awake yet as I eat my lunch.

Tomorrow we port in Barcelona, our homeport for the next 5 months. I am very excited to see what will become the spot in which we change over every 12 days. I am also very eager to get into the flow of our 12-day cruises, as we have been doing 5, 7, or even 14-day cruises at this point and have yet to experience the type that we will be doing to longest. From here until my last cruise on this contract, we will be doing 12-day cruises, with another transatlantic 14-day crossing before I sign off in Miami.

This whole thing is very surreal to me, stepping on the ship and having to remind myself that I am in Europe and walking on foreign soil that some people may never see in their lifetime. Most of the time I feel like I am in a movie or walking on a movie set, it all almost doesn’t feel real.

In terms of dancing, the shows have all become second nature and so have the costumes and makeup. Along with the dance classes, Diego and I have put together a Tango that we perform I various shows throughout the cruise. It is authentic to Argentina, about 3 minutes or so, and when performed full out it’s pretty hard. Ballroom dancing is something I have never really gotten the chance to explore so I welcome the challenge and relish in the opportunity at the same time. We have also started to perform with Natalie in her variety show, and back up dancing is also very fun. I have been fortunate enough to be able to find ‘background’ work very fulfilling, as I am able to recognize that I am part of a picture of something rather then in the middle of it, or even the only thing in the frame. As long as I am dancing, it’s pretty hard to make me unhappy.

My sea legs have finally set in, I got off the bike this evening in the gym and didn’t even flinch when the ship swayed and I took a step to the side to stabilize myself. As annoying as it is, I am getting the hang of dressing up in the morning to be able to go into passenger areas, and dressing down has become something that I look forward to each day. Last night before our shows I went up to deck 7 (the crew deck, which is located at the very front of the ship), and the sun was just about to set over the empty horizon as we sailed away from one part of Spain to the next. The ocean was completely still, and the orangy pink sunset reflected on it like a perfect glass mirror. I closed my eyes and thought of my friends and my family that I miss, and then opened them again to the postcard that lay in front of me. This gig ain’t bad for now.