Roseau, Dominica

Tonight we have big band sets for the first time since I’ve been here – and since our first one isn’t until 9:45pm tonight, we had what feels like a day off. I’ve still got a couple of hours left to relax and get ready for the sets. Last night I was up late playing good old scrabble with some of my new friends, so I slept in today. The social situation is a little better on this ship because there is a great non-smoking common room area, as an alternative to the smoking bar. on the galaxy, that non-smoking hangout area was only big enough for maybe 15 people at a time, with nowhere to sit or relax. Here the room is big, with lots of couches, tables and chairs, and even a couple of T.V.’s where I’ve seen crewmembers showcasing their Guitar Hero skills. ☺

Today I got off the ship around 12:30 and walked around Roseau, Dominica for the first time, with Jason, the sound tech. I found the port a bit intimidating – it isn’t the safest area to walk around. Jason was comfortable, though – he says Dominica really reminds him of South Africa. . It was quite different for me, though. The rest of the island is very beautiful and tropical, but I wouldn’t know where to go on my own. I think I prefer places like Aruba and St. Maarten which are easy to get around, safe, and more tourist-friendly. Although if I had the money, the nature tours on Dominica look really fantastic. Hiking, waterfalls, marine reserves, wildlife parks, even a boiling lake. Most of the island is still rainforest.

When I had had enough of walking around in the sun, I came back to the ship and went to the gym for the first time. The guest gym here is even nicer than the Galaxy’s. I hope I’ll be more consistent about going this contract!

St. Maarten - Reunion!!

Well, embarkation day has come and gone, and it looks like I still have this “spacious” cabin to myself. Today is the first full day of my second cruise, technically the second day, and we have a new cruise director. Since the cruise director manages all of the entertainment on the ship, getting a new one always means having a few changes to the routine. So far nothing drastic has happened, and I think he will make a good cruise director. His name is Gary, and he is originally from London, England. Tonight is the first production show of the cruise – but interestingly enough it isn’t the Broadway show this time. We are doing the shows in reverse order this cruise to save the a/v team a lot of work – so they left up all the sets from the final show of last cruise, and we are doing it first. Which is a noble idea, to be sure, however the name of the show is “Encore,” and it seems a bit anachronistic (not to mention presumptuous) to do it first. ☺

Today’s biggest news is that we were in port with the Galaxy! As soon as I found out we would be docked alongside my former ship here in St. Maarten, I emailed all of my friends there. I could barely contain my excitement as we pulled in next to her – my friend Shaun from the acapella group can testify that I was literally jumping up and down. ☺ Walking onto the ship was so strange – and yet it felt like I had never left.

The first person I visited was Lisa, my old roommate and the altosax player. We were talking in the hallway for only a few seconds when my friend Hayden heard my voice and flung his door open. Hugs all around - it was so fun to be reunited with good friends!! I spent about a half hour talking with Lisa as she gave me all the latest news of what has been going on at the Galaxy. Then me, Hayden and Shaun (they both know each other from a previous contract) went on a walk around town. I had lunch with Hayden (and also had the best mango smoothie ever!) and we got to really talk and catch up over a couple of hours. It was great to resurrect all of our old inside jokes. ☺

Later I gave Lisa and some of my other friends (all from the cast) a tour of the ship and the theatre. It was really fun to play tour guide. Lisa is interested because she will most likely join the Summit after the drydock, and the dancers were interested because our theatre is nicer than the Galaxy’s. ☺ I saw almost all of my old friends at some point during the day. Although I don’t know when or if I will ever see any of them again, I am so thankful for the blessing it was to see them today, if only for one short day.