Happy New Year!!

Last night was New Year's Eve here on the Rhapsody, which meant a busy night for the orchestra. After a morning rehearsal and our two evening shows, the night was just getting started. The orchestra did a big band set in the centrum from 11pm right up until the countdown. The Centrum is a big open lobby that goes up for 5 decks, and was absolutely packed with people. We were right in the middle of things, and all got covered in confetti and had balloons falling all around us when Captain Rick led the final countdown, as we all were sneaking sips of champagne while playing Auld Lang Syne. It was a really great atmosphere with so much energy and excitement in the room. We finished playing around 12:30 as people danced all sround us, and then all went to the back deck to have our crew celebration. We did a belated countdown at 2am for all of us who were working at midnight, which was pretty funny. It was a really fantastic night. Happy New Year to everyone at home!!!

Wrapping up Christmas

On Christmas Eve after our two shows, the band gathered to play carols in the Centrum Lobby, which was totally packed with people. We had planned for ten songs, but ended up doing many more than that because people wanted to keep singing and kept calling out songs. We finished just past 11pm, after which my friends came over to my cabin for a while to hang out. The ship crew welfare had organized a crew Christmas party on Back Deck (the crew bar), so we all headed up there eventually. People celebrated all over the ship, and a few of us ended up at smaller parties along the way, in the engine room and the aft mooring deck. Eventually we all ended up at back deck, and stayed out until the wee hours enjoying each other's company. The next morning I was up at 8am to open my stocking (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and then to go to a secret santa revealing party with the cast. It was a lot of fun, and really made things feel like Christmas. I watched a Christmas movie in the afternoon with my friends, then after work (one big band set in the Centrum) we all reconvened to give our little gifts and enjoy a Christmas mini-feast of crackers and nice cheeses that we had bought and smuggled on in Noumea a few days before. It was a really wonderful day, spent with good friends on board, and I stayed busy enough that I didn't get too lonely being away from home on Christmas. It was great to open presents from family at home, and to be able to call and talk to them from the ship as they opened mine.

Today we begin another special week - our New Year's cruise. Traditionally the most expensive cruise to buy as a guest, it is always very full and with a generally younger and livelier crowd, much like Christmas is. All week the guest gym has been totally packed, and it will be next cruise as well, quite a change from the norm. It is nice to have so many young people on board. I've also glimpsed a welcome name on the guest entertainer line-up for this cruise - Mario D'Andrea. The first show I ever played on a ship, on the Galaxy in May 2007, and a good friend that I haven't seen in a couple of years. He should be on board today in Sydney, and I plan to track him down right away. I'm really looking forward to seeing him again. It should be a great end to the year 2010....time to start thinking of my resolutions!!

Christmas Cruise!

We began our Christmas cruise a few days ago in Sydney. I started the week off right by going to a matinee of Hillsong's Christmas show, called "Someone has Stolen the Star", a Christmas mystery. We had barely enough time to make it out to their Sydney Hills campus and back. The show was amazing, the church really went all out and spent a lot of money on sets, video, lighting, the works. There were even bubbles let down from the ceiling to imitate snow at a couple of points in the show. It was really incredible....my friend Julie and I were really impressed.

Christmas is really in full swing here, despite the warm weather. The Centrum lobby is fully decked out with a giant tree, poinsettias everywhere, garlands, etc..... the crew and guests seems to all be wearing Santa hats around. I've been wearing a pair of reindeer antlers given to me by my secret santa - someone in the cast. Last night the cruise division had a wrapping party - we had to wrap over 500 gifts - one for every kid on board this week, so they can each get one. It took us about an hour and a half, with all of us working hard, taking up the entire floor of one of the conference rooms. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve for us, and we'll start all the planned events. Everyone is looking forward to it.

This week has been a fun one for going ashore - we're back in the south pacific islands, and we went to the beach 2 days in a row in Isle of Pines and Mystery Island, for some really great snorkeling. One of my favorite things to find is Nemo. Seriously - they are everywhere if you know how to look here. You find a big anenome, and watch for them hiding inside it. There are a few different types of clownfish or anenome fish (Nemo's real name), and seeing different colors and varieties is fun for me. I also love swimming up to the big clams and watching them close in reaction. The snorkeling was amazing both days. Its been nice to enjoy to warmer weather after spending a couple weeks in NZ.

Two more sleeps til Christmas!!

Kiwi Adventures!

The last few ports in New Zealand turned out to be a whole lot of fun. The ship offered a crew tour to go whitewate rafting in Tauranga, and several of my friends and I signed up. I didn't really know what I was getting into, my last rafting experience having involved no paddling or moments of high adrenaline. This tour took us to some class 5 rapids, and we were definitely all paddling! There were six of us in our raft, plus the guide. We got to go through some exciting rapids and culminated in a terrifying 7 meter waterfall. Umm.....what?? We made it over without flipping, but one of the other rafts wasn't so lucky and everyone in it got dumped in the river. People were falling out of their rafts left and right. It was quite a rush!! We were all grinning and loving it the whole time. After rafting, my friend Tim and I had just enough time to climb up Mount Mauao (I think I got the order of those vowels right...) which is right next to where we dock. Its only about an hour to get up and back, so nothing serious, but a beautiful view from the top.

I have been working for Shore Excursions all week, and finally traded in that time spent for some tours on our last two ports. In Auckland I climbed the harbor bridge, which was a really neat experience. I also happened to get to see my friends bungy jump from the bridge as I climbed back down it. We stopped to watch 2 or 3 jumps, and I got to witness Tim's face as he did his very first bungy jump. Classic. A lot of my friends are going to go again next time we're here, but I'm not convinced yet. It is actually really safe though. I know, Mom, you don't want me jumping off bridges, I know I know....

Today I was lucky enough to be able to have lunch with the captain, Captain Rick, and some guests in the dining room. Captain Rick does this with VIP guests fairly often, and they like to send someone along from the cruise division as well. This is the first time anyone's called me to do it, and I was happy they did. It was neat to be able to sit down to lunch with the captain and ask him questions, and fun to chat with and answer questions from the guests after he had to leave.

Tonight was a Beatles tribute band, which means we had the night off. Hooray! A bunch of us went to the show just for fun. The best thing about it was that we weren't playing in it. :-)

New Zealand so far

We started our New Zealand cruise with a day exploring Milford, Doubtful, and Dusky Sounds in the South island. The scenery reminded me of parts of Alaska and of norwegian Fjords. We were very lucky with the weather, and had beautiful blue sunny skies in a place where is is raining almost all the time. We got quite a shock though at how cold and dry it was in the south of New Zealand, as compared to Sydney and the south pacific islands we've been cruising. It was very cold our first couple of ports. Now we're up in the north island, and things are much warmer here.

I was unlucky enough to be one of the 2% of crew that had to turn up at 6:45am in our first New Zealand port (Dunedin) for a random passport check. Not fun. I didn't even end up getting off the ship that day because I had a pretty bad cold. It was a good day to stay warm in bed.

In Christchurch I went out to lunch with friends, did some shopping, and climbed the bell tower of the cathedral in the center of town. I was at the top of that tower once before when I was here in New Zealand 6 years ago, and it was neat to be in the same place again, but with different people and at a different place in my life.

In Wellington I checked out the Te Papa museum, probably the most famous in New Zealand, and got to see a preserved "colossal squid" that was found in the Antarctic. Wellington is actually the capital of New Zealand, despite Auckland being much bigger and more populated, with the country's primary airport. In the afternoon I also got to meet up with my old friend Hayden, who lives there. Hayden was the sax player in the band on my very first ship 3 years ago, Celebrity's Galaxy. It was wonderful to catch up with him for a few hours.

In Napier a few of us went out to lunch and then went on a scenic tour for a couple of hours. The countryside was really beautiful. We went to the top of Te Mata mountain for some photos, and got to visit a winery as well. Hawkes Bay region is famous for its wine. I also got to have my first sheep sighting. They are everywhere in New Zealand as soon as you leave the cities. As we sailed away from Napier that night, I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life. It was truly incredible. It stopped all of us in our tracks and had us staring for half an hour. I was really blessed. Thanks God!!

Heading to New Zealand

I'm in Sydney once again! This past week I only got off the ship in one of our two ports due to rehearsals on the second port day. But the day I did get off was great - in Noumea, New Caledonia a half dozen of us braved the island's public trans to get ourselves to Duck Island, via city bus and water taxi. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we spent a nice day on the beach and snorkeling around the coral reef. Other than that one day, my whole week was spent on board, keeping entertained outside of work by hanging out with friends, playing board games, N64, and fooseball in the crew rec room. We all seem to be reaching a new comfort level with each other, choosing to spend our free time together rather than on our own whilst at sea. It certainly helps the days go by quickly. I can't believe how quickly Christmas is coming. I've decorated my cabin for the occasion, and even bought an advent calendar so I can count the days by eating a little piece of chocolate each day. Not a bad idea at all. :-)

Today we will begin our 14 day New Zealand cruise, something we've all been looking forward to for quite some time. Not only will we get to be in new places, but the ports and cities have much more to offer than the idyllic but undeveloped places we go in the South Pacific. We can't wait to explore some new cities. A couple of days will also just be spent cruising around some of the most scenic corners of the country, which should be really interesting as well.

A few days ago on board I met 3 people from Peru and we got to talking in Spanish at the crew bar.....somehow by the end of the night I had 3 new peruvian best friends and I had promised to visit them when I go see Machu Pichu someday, and also help all three of them with English. I love it when I get to meet interesting people like that.