I arrived to the Majesty just fine, and got on the ship around 9am. I ran into my boss and friend Andy right away - it is so cool to see him again!! I share a cabin with the Youth Program Manager, Stacey, 25. She’s been a great roommate so far and has really helped me settle in. The cabin is TINY, as per usual, but there is more than enough storage space for all my things. I have the top bunk, but don’t really mind...its not as close to the ceiling as on Celebrity ships, and having walls on three sides of my bed makes it feel cozy and less exposed.
My first day on board started off with about 4 hours of safety training, followed by a quick sound check for the welcome aboard show, which was pretty straightforward. We basically did little bits of what we’ll be doing all cruise, like a number with the production cast, a band feature, and a guest entertainer. We also got to sit back and watch the other entertainers do a little bit of their thing. We have a couple of guys who call themselves the Blackstreet Boys, and I have to say that they are pretty darn hilarious. They’re from LA and do a lot of improv with each other, some dancing, and just general silliness. I could not stop laughing....wow. I’m definitely going to go see their show tomorrow night. They were really the highlight, and the show should have had its finale with them, but then our cruise director Denny got up and played the accordion. I WISH I was kidding.
The next day was a sea day, and pretty busy as well. I unpacked and settled in, did a few more hours of training, sight-read a big band set in the afternoon (yikes), had a sound check, and spent a couple hours checking out the music for the show that night - the Broadway show with the cast, called Standing Room Only. My music was out of order and it took me awhile to sort it all out while listening to the CD. Its not an easy show to sight read, but I did pretty well on it. My part is so fun - I was almost euphoric after the first show....it was such a rush. I barely have any time to empty my spit valve, the thing just doesn’t stop! Two shows, 7:30 and 9:45. After the shows I had to spend some time mapping out my main and alternate escape routes from both my cabin and my workplace (theatre) to my emergency position, which meant I walked all over the ship in the middle of the night for a while.
This morning I passed my basic safety exam, and I have my first crew boat drill. And we are in the Bahamas!!! After the drill I’ll get a chance to go off the ship and experience Nassau for the first time. I’m pretty excited!
Oh and meet the band:
Andy - all woodwinds, English, bandmaster, 29.
“Alex” (Olexander?) - bass, Ukrainian, 20 something?
“Alexi” (?) trumpet, Russian, 40ish. (He leaves next Turnaround day, so don’t get used to him)
Alan - piano, American (Chicago), mid-twenties.
Jeremy - drums, Canadian, maybe late twenties.
Weird! All our names start with “A” at the moment, expect for Jeremy. And yes, I am the only girl at the moment. I kinda like it that way. :-) There is SO much more to talk about, but let’s keep the posts un-intimidating for now.
