We're on day 4 of our 7-day trip across the Atlantic. If you've been watching the news, you may have heard about my friends Henry, Isabel, and Fabian. You know, the hurricanes. Don't worry, I have the utmost confidence in our captain, and you should, too. The ship's rocking like crazy, but it's fun. I'll phone when we get stateside.
Love, Genoa
Friday, September 10, 2010
9/4/03: On the Crown
Here's the group email you all have probably come to expect from me.
Well, I made it here to the Crown. I flew into Rome and stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Civitevecchia where I fell asleep listening to crashing waves and crickets. But not before exploring Rome with Bruno, a fellow NCL chap who was picked up at the airport at the same time. I love that city.
Apparently, the ship is still under Orient Lines, not Norwegian, so the youth program and Freestyle Cruising don't start until Sept. 15 when we get to Baltimore. The other two YCs are still on their other ships and will transfer in a couple of weeks. But after 8 weeks without working, I was ready to get back on a ship. Not that I have much to do. The Kids Korner hasn't even been built yet. Until we get to the States and begin our program, I'm preparing and checking out what supplies we have. So I have plenty of free time, which is great. I went on a city highlights tour of Barcelona today. The crew here is awesome, and there are enough familiar faces to feel at home. My roommate is a French shore excursions girl named Valerie, but she leaves in a few days and I'll have my own cabin for the week until her replacement comes in Baltimore.
I hope you're all doing great. Everything is fabulous here. I'll email more once we get across the ocean.
Love, Genoa
Spain
Well, I made it here to the Crown. I flew into Rome and stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Civitevecchia where I fell asleep listening to crashing waves and crickets. But not before exploring Rome with Bruno, a fellow NCL chap who was picked up at the airport at the same time. I love that city.
Apparently, the ship is still under Orient Lines, not Norwegian, so the youth program and Freestyle Cruising don't start until Sept. 15 when we get to Baltimore. The other two YCs are still on their other ships and will transfer in a couple of weeks. But after 8 weeks without working, I was ready to get back on a ship. Not that I have much to do. The Kids Korner hasn't even been built yet. Until we get to the States and begin our program, I'm preparing and checking out what supplies we have. So I have plenty of free time, which is great. I went on a city highlights tour of Barcelona today. The crew here is awesome, and there are enough familiar faces to feel at home. My roommate is a French shore excursions girl named Valerie, but she leaves in a few days and I'll have my own cabin for the week until her replacement comes in Baltimore.
I hope you're all doing great. Everything is fabulous here. I'll email more once we get across the ocean.
Love, Genoa
Spain
8/28/03: To the Crown!
Good afternoon,
I hope this email finds you all enjoying a splendid summer. I myself have reveled in the very summeryness of it. San Diego is truly America's Finest City. If you don't live here, and haven't been here lately, you absolutely must visit. I would offer to be a city guide and hostess, but I'm leaving again. This time for the Norwegian Crown Odyssey. If you want to see where I'll be, you can look it up on www.ncl.com and you can even check out the bow cam. It's been a long vacation for me, and I'm eager to get back to work. I miss those little monkeys! Have a fabulous end of summer, a lovely fall, and a joyful holiday season. I should be home again in January or February.
Hugs and kisses, Genoa
I hope this email finds you all enjoying a splendid summer. I myself have reveled in the very summeryness of it. San Diego is truly America's Finest City. If you don't live here, and haven't been here lately, you absolutely must visit. I would offer to be a city guide and hostess, but I'm leaving again. This time for the Norwegian Crown Odyssey. If you want to see where I'll be, you can look it up on www.ncl.com and you can even check out the bow cam. It's been a long vacation for me, and I'm eager to get back to work. I miss those little monkeys! Have a fabulous end of summer, a lovely fall, and a joyful holiday season. I should be home again in January or February.
Hugs and kisses, Genoa
7/5/03: Ship Life
Hello lovelies!
My contract on the Dream is drawing to a close. I go on vacation on the 9th. I've had the most amazing time here, and I was on the schedule to return, which would have been awesome. But the new schedule has me signing onto the Crown Odyssey on September 1st (Same as you Sarah, yippee!). I'm excited about the itinerary, and the new experiences, but I wasn't ready to go through the goodbye-for-good process again so soon. These goodbyes are getting rough! Una, I'm going to miss being your roommate so much. I'll be able to email more once I'm home. Hopefully I'll see some of you soon. In the meantime, San Diego calls. I can use some home-time.
Love, Genoa
Copenhagen, Denmark
My contract on the Dream is drawing to a close. I go on vacation on the 9th. I've had the most amazing time here, and I was on the schedule to return, which would have been awesome. But the new schedule has me signing onto the Crown Odyssey on September 1st (Same as you Sarah, yippee!). I'm excited about the itinerary, and the new experiences, but I wasn't ready to go through the goodbye-for-good process again so soon. These goodbyes are getting rough! Una, I'm going to miss being your roommate so much. I'll be able to email more once I'm home. Hopefully I'll see some of you soon. In the meantime, San Diego calls. I can use some home-time.
Love, Genoa
Copenhagen, Denmark
7/4/03: Home on Wednesday!
Hello all of you lovely monkeys,
I'm coming home on Wednesday, July 9. I've had the most amazing adventures, met the most lovely people, and saw the most beautiful places. I'll write more about that once I get home and settled. I've loved it here on the Dream, seeing the Mediterranean and the Baltic capitals, but my time is drawing to a close. The new schedule posted has me returning to the Crown Odyssey on September 1. She goes to the Med, New England and Canada, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, then South America. Wow, huh? Unfortunately, I may not be home for the winter holidays as I'd hoped, but I'm used to that. I'm joining the Crown in Rome, one of my favorite cities, so I'm thinking about flying out a week early to spend some time there. Anyone want to join me? I'd still be home for about 6 1/2 weeks. So I want to see all of you when I'm home! You remember my phone number, right? I know I'm not home much, but I miss you guys. I hope life is grand for all of you.
Love, Genoa
Sailing to Copenhagen
I'm coming home on Wednesday, July 9. I've had the most amazing adventures, met the most lovely people, and saw the most beautiful places. I'll write more about that once I get home and settled. I've loved it here on the Dream, seeing the Mediterranean and the Baltic capitals, but my time is drawing to a close. The new schedule posted has me returning to the Crown Odyssey on September 1. She goes to the Med, New England and Canada, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, then South America. Wow, huh? Unfortunately, I may not be home for the winter holidays as I'd hoped, but I'm used to that. I'm joining the Crown in Rome, one of my favorite cities, so I'm thinking about flying out a week early to spend some time there. Anyone want to join me? I'd still be home for about 6 1/2 weeks. So I want to see all of you when I'm home! You remember my phone number, right? I know I'm not home much, but I miss you guys. I hope life is grand for all of you.
Love, Genoa
Sailing to Copenhagen
5/25/03: Play Money and Disney's Inspiration
Greetings and salutations o loved ones,
I've recently been briefed on my financial status, so I'll be tightening my purse strings. One of the ways I'll be doing that is by not emailing as much. My apologies. Please excuse the group email forum as I reply to individuals. Hopefully, there will be enough of communal interest to make this worth reading for all.
I was told by other crew members that you get the best exchange rate in Europe by using ATMs and credit cards, versus exchanging money. So I get cute, colorful bills from the machine, and everyone has $1 and $2 coins, and lots of the coins have holes in them. It's like play money. The bad thing is that I don't pay attention to the exchange rates, so when I withdraw 2,000 Norwegian Kroners, I don't think about that being US$300. I'll have to pay attention now.
I went to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gradens with some people the other night. It's an amusement park that's 160 years old. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for, you guessed it, Sea World. Ha ha. It's beautiful and fun and they have a tower you ascend in a car. On the way up, you see a stunning view of the city, are held way up at the top for a few seconds, then are released to plummet all the way down. What a rush. I screamed.
Quick love life update: Jimmy was the long-distance boyfriend. He wasn't prepared for the challenges of a long-distance ship relationship, so we broke up. "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." My friend Brian and I had been spending all of our time together anyway. When I broke up with Jimmy, it felt natural for Brian and me to start dating, so we did, for a whopping 12 days. He signed off on Thursday. "Alone again, naturally." I know this is the way of ship life. It's one of the few sacrifices I make for this wonderful lifestyle of mine.
The lead youth counselor Melanie signed off for vacation a few weeks ago. With a year and a half experience, I was the obvious choice to fill in. Mel emailed that she wants to spend the summer at home, so I'm staying the lead. I like the added responsibility and control of the program. It's fun being the boss. We have 12 kids this cruise. A 6-year old painted my finger nails the other day.
We got word yesterday that the SS Norway had an explosion in the bowels of the ship. Four engineers died. Eleven or 16 others, depending on the report you hear, were injured. I assume the ship will sit in Miami for awhile. A crew member was airlifted off my ship (the Norwegian Dream) yesterday with Meningitis. The person was raised on a stretcher up to a helicopter and taken to a medical center.
Thanks to everyone who's been emailing. Again, my apologies for having to cut down on my internet time.
It's time for our weekly boat drill.
Love, Genoa
St. Petersburg, Russia
I've recently been briefed on my financial status, so I'll be tightening my purse strings. One of the ways I'll be doing that is by not emailing as much. My apologies. Please excuse the group email forum as I reply to individuals. Hopefully, there will be enough of communal interest to make this worth reading for all.
I was told by other crew members that you get the best exchange rate in Europe by using ATMs and credit cards, versus exchanging money. So I get cute, colorful bills from the machine, and everyone has $1 and $2 coins, and lots of the coins have holes in them. It's like play money. The bad thing is that I don't pay attention to the exchange rates, so when I withdraw 2,000 Norwegian Kroners, I don't think about that being US$300. I'll have to pay attention now.
I went to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gradens with some people the other night. It's an amusement park that's 160 years old. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for, you guessed it, Sea World. Ha ha. It's beautiful and fun and they have a tower you ascend in a car. On the way up, you see a stunning view of the city, are held way up at the top for a few seconds, then are released to plummet all the way down. What a rush. I screamed.
Quick love life update: Jimmy was the long-distance boyfriend. He wasn't prepared for the challenges of a long-distance ship relationship, so we broke up. "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." My friend Brian and I had been spending all of our time together anyway. When I broke up with Jimmy, it felt natural for Brian and me to start dating, so we did, for a whopping 12 days. He signed off on Thursday. "Alone again, naturally." I know this is the way of ship life. It's one of the few sacrifices I make for this wonderful lifestyle of mine.
The lead youth counselor Melanie signed off for vacation a few weeks ago. With a year and a half experience, I was the obvious choice to fill in. Mel emailed that she wants to spend the summer at home, so I'm staying the lead. I like the added responsibility and control of the program. It's fun being the boss. We have 12 kids this cruise. A 6-year old painted my finger nails the other day.
We got word yesterday that the SS Norway had an explosion in the bowels of the ship. Four engineers died. Eleven or 16 others, depending on the report you hear, were injured. I assume the ship will sit in Miami for awhile. A crew member was airlifted off my ship (the Norwegian Dream) yesterday with Meningitis. The person was raised on a stretcher up to a helicopter and taken to a medical center.
Thanks to everyone who's been emailing. Again, my apologies for having to cut down on my internet time.
It's time for our weekly boat drill.
Love, Genoa
St. Petersburg, Russia
5/17/03: That's the News to Me
A mini update:
I ate sushi in Stockholm, Sweden, today. A big group of us went to the Russian Ballet the other night; we saw Swan Lake in St. Petersburg. Some of us went to a coffee bar in Amsterdam, Holland, where people smoke marijuana right out in the open. You can buy magic mushrooms and other drugs at a store. My friend Abbey and I went to London last embarkation day. We took a bus, a train, and the London Underground to get there. We had a whopping one hour in the city before we had to head back to the ship, but seeing Piccadilly Circus was worth it. My vacation should be July 9-August 14th. If I play my cards right, I might be home for Christmas and my birthday...
Hugs and kisses,
Genoa
I ate sushi in Stockholm, Sweden, today. A big group of us went to the Russian Ballet the other night; we saw Swan Lake in St. Petersburg. Some of us went to a coffee bar in Amsterdam, Holland, where people smoke marijuana right out in the open. You can buy magic mushrooms and other drugs at a store. My friend Abbey and I went to London last embarkation day. We took a bus, a train, and the London Underground to get there. We had a whopping one hour in the city before we had to head back to the ship, but seeing Piccadilly Circus was worth it. My vacation should be July 9-August 14th. If I play my cards right, I might be home for Christmas and my birthday...
Hugs and kisses,
Genoa
5/5/03: Trying to Phone
Hey, monkeys,
With the time change being 9 hours ahead here, the only chance I can get to phone you when it's not 3am there is when I'm in port late with free time and an open phone that I can figure out how to use. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, everything here is going great. We're going to see the Hardanger Fjord today. If I don't get my extension, I should be home for Christmas. I love you guys and I miss you loads. I'll tell you more about my travels when I have more time to email, or on the phone.
Love, Genoa
At sea today
With the time change being 9 hours ahead here, the only chance I can get to phone you when it's not 3am there is when I'm in port late with free time and an open phone that I can figure out how to use. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, everything here is going great. We're going to see the Hardanger Fjord today. If I don't get my extension, I should be home for Christmas. I love you guys and I miss you loads. I'll tell you more about my travels when I have more time to email, or on the phone.
Love, Genoa
At sea today
4/28/03: New Places
Sorry for the group email, but I've been catching up on my emails and my fingers are getting tired.
Portuguese is way different from Spanish! I was so lost.
The other day the weather was too bad for us to go to Cadiz, Spain, so we had an overnight in Lisbon, Portugal, instead of just one day. A group of us went to a traditional restaurant and they came around with skewers of all types of meat, including chicken HEARTS and turkey wrapped in bacon. It was just like a Brazilian bbq place I've been to, even down to the disc that sits on your table--turned one way to say, "Keep bringing the food," and the other way to say, "I'm stuffed, stop coming 'round."
The Baltic Sea is still frozen, so we had to cancel St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallin, Estonia, this cruise. Instead, we're going to Warnemunde, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; cruising the Hardanger Fjord (Ha! Who names these things?!) and Bergen, Norway. We told the passengers before they got on the ship and they had the option to reschedule. Once on the ship, they could do nothing about it. You have to have a special visa to visit Russia unless you're on a ship's excursion or are a ship crew member. So lots of people wanted this cruise just for that port. Bummer.
Last cruise we had about 70 2-17 year olds on the ship for Spring Break. Twelve of the 2-12's came to program and a few teens dropped in and hung out. Those who came were lots of fun. Three kids lost teeth within 12 hours! Two of them were missing about 4 front teeth. Adorable. It was a great cruise, except for two horrible sisters, whose parents taught them everything they know. I'm so glad they're gone! This cruise, the prelim numbers had two 2-5's, one 6-12, and three teens. That's six kids, folks. On the whole ship. Eleven days. Melanie left for vacation so I'm the head honcho. My feelings about being lead have changed over my time with NCL. You don't get any more money, it's good for a resume, it's good to have more responsibility and be the firefighter, so to speak, it's more paperwork, on and on. But in preparing the schedules for the next couple of cruises, I got excited about implementing my ideas from other ships. I have a lot of experience, and I bring a lot to the table in that way. I'm looking forward to the experience, and I hope I'll be able to transition as easily back to regular YC.
Okay, if you're still reading, thank you. I know this one's long, but are you really surprised?
I miss your voices. I'll call when I can.
Love you, Genoa
Portuguese is way different from Spanish! I was so lost.
The other day the weather was too bad for us to go to Cadiz, Spain, so we had an overnight in Lisbon, Portugal, instead of just one day. A group of us went to a traditional restaurant and they came around with skewers of all types of meat, including chicken HEARTS and turkey wrapped in bacon. It was just like a Brazilian bbq place I've been to, even down to the disc that sits on your table--turned one way to say, "Keep bringing the food," and the other way to say, "I'm stuffed, stop coming 'round."
The Baltic Sea is still frozen, so we had to cancel St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallin, Estonia, this cruise. Instead, we're going to Warnemunde, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; cruising the Hardanger Fjord (Ha! Who names these things?!) and Bergen, Norway. We told the passengers before they got on the ship and they had the option to reschedule. Once on the ship, they could do nothing about it. You have to have a special visa to visit Russia unless you're on a ship's excursion or are a ship crew member. So lots of people wanted this cruise just for that port. Bummer.
Last cruise we had about 70 2-17 year olds on the ship for Spring Break. Twelve of the 2-12's came to program and a few teens dropped in and hung out. Those who came were lots of fun. Three kids lost teeth within 12 hours! Two of them were missing about 4 front teeth. Adorable. It was a great cruise, except for two horrible sisters, whose parents taught them everything they know. I'm so glad they're gone! This cruise, the prelim numbers had two 2-5's, one 6-12, and three teens. That's six kids, folks. On the whole ship. Eleven days. Melanie left for vacation so I'm the head honcho. My feelings about being lead have changed over my time with NCL. You don't get any more money, it's good for a resume, it's good to have more responsibility and be the firefighter, so to speak, it's more paperwork, on and on. But in preparing the schedules for the next couple of cruises, I got excited about implementing my ideas from other ships. I have a lot of experience, and I bring a lot to the table in that way. I'm looking forward to the experience, and I hope I'll be able to transition as easily back to regular YC.
Okay, if you're still reading, thank you. I know this one's long, but are you really surprised?
I miss your voices. I'll call when I can.
Love you, Genoa
4/18/03: Hi From GENOA!!
I finally made it! I'm in Genoa, Italy! It's beautiful. The architecture and history blow my mind. I love it. In the past few days, I've seen Rome, Barcelona, Cannes, Africa (10 miles away as we sailed through the Straight of Gibraltar), Pisa, the Azores, and of course, my lovely city. There's lots more to come as we travel out of the Mediterannean and up to Scandinavia. Pesto is a Genovese specialty and I've eaten it the two times the Dream has been here. Delicious. All is going fabulously. My best to you all.
Love, Genoa
Love, Genoa
4/6/03: Rockin' and a Rollin'
We're set to stop in the Azores tomorrow. Rumors fly that we might not make it. Last year the weather was too bad to dock and we coasted into the Med pretty much sailing on fumes and feeding the passengers canned food. The seas have been pretty rocky the whole trip. I haven't gotten seasick, but I've felt a little yucky when I haven't been able to eat first thing in the morning. Abbey, Melanie, and I have a rotation, so for the three sessions we have each sea day, only two of us are there at a time. There are only 5 kids who come, so we're overstaffed, and it's nice to have some time off. I'll say it again, Una is the best roommate ever. We get along really well. There was a crew party and we went to Le Bistro beforehand. Did I tell you this already? Our shower is so small that I have to squat down with my back against the wall so I don't hit my head on the on/off/temp nozzle trying to get my shampoo, etc. on the floor. And I lean against the wall for support because of the waves. It's like I'm constantly drunk (metaphorically); I have no equilibrium. To accommodate for traveling across several time zones, we're losing an hour's sleep almost every night. Because of daylight's savings, we were afforded a reprieve the night before last, and that's when we had the crew party. The food in the mess is pretty gross, but we eat with the kids in the sports bar or pizzeria and by the time we get to eat Italian, French, and Spanish food, it will be like the gods themselves have provided us with a feast. That's the news for now. I love you guys. I hope you're all doing really well. Happy belated birthday to Kelly. Ruff ruff.
Love, Genoa
Love, Genoa
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
4/1/03
Mom,
The girls I'm working with are fairly new to ships, but they're cool. The crossing of the Atlantic will be a challenge because we only have about 12 kids, age 2-17, and they may all want to be involved. What do a 2-year old and a 12-year old have in common? Abbey and Melanie are used to having only a couple of kids in program, whereas I love a group of at least 15 so we can play games and get loud. But I've always thought I'm resilient and adaptable. I'll be fine.
I'm rooming with Una again, as she asked the assistant cruise director (ACD) if he would put us together. So that's cool, but our room isn't as nice as our palace on the Norway. It's small and dimly lit, and the previous girl left stuff because she is returning in Spain (but to a different cabin). There are several familiar faces and the ship is just as I remember her sister, the Wind.
I love you around the world and back again, literally.
Your daughter, Genoa
The girls I'm working with are fairly new to ships, but they're cool. The crossing of the Atlantic will be a challenge because we only have about 12 kids, age 2-17, and they may all want to be involved. What do a 2-year old and a 12-year old have in common? Abbey and Melanie are used to having only a couple of kids in program, whereas I love a group of at least 15 so we can play games and get loud. But I've always thought I'm resilient and adaptable. I'll be fine.
I'm rooming with Una again, as she asked the assistant cruise director (ACD) if he would put us together. So that's cool, but our room isn't as nice as our palace on the Norway. It's small and dimly lit, and the previous girl left stuff because she is returning in Spain (but to a different cabin). There are several familiar faces and the ship is just as I remember her sister, the Wind.
I love you around the world and back again, literally.
Your daughter, Genoa
3/22/03: My Next Adventure
As another vacation draws to a close, I find myself looking back and looking forward. I suppose I do this often. My life has so many small chapters lately.
I've had a wonderful vacation. My mom was on vacation, too, so we spent a lot of time together, including in Paris, London, Bath, Warwick, and Edinburgh. We had a blast, taking the tube (London Underground subway system) everywhere and exploring castles and lovely old architecture.
While I wasn't in Britain, I've spent the last five weeks taking a quick trip to Vegas, spending quality time with friends, having my wisdom teeth removed, and smushing my face in the soft fur of my cat and dog. I also did my fair share of laying on the couch, under an afghan, curled up next to my mom, watching movies. It's funny the things you miss when you're away.
I'm leaving on Wednesday to cruise as a passenger on the Norwegian Sea for 5 days in the Bahamas to see a friend. On March 31st, I'll walk off the Sea and onto the Dream. We'll set sail from Miami to Civitavecchia, Italy.
I'm expecting to be on the Dream until July 21st. The ship does two cruises in the Mediterranean and then heads up to Scandinavia (England, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). There aren't supposed to be very many children, and I will miss that part, but I'm sure there will be plenty of playtime anyway.
I hope you all have an awesome next four months. Remember to notice the beautiful parts of every day and reach out to each other with love. Everyone deserves to be loved. Please take care of each other and of yourselves.
Love, Genoa
I've had a wonderful vacation. My mom was on vacation, too, so we spent a lot of time together, including in Paris, London, Bath, Warwick, and Edinburgh. We had a blast, taking the tube (London Underground subway system) everywhere and exploring castles and lovely old architecture.
While I wasn't in Britain, I've spent the last five weeks taking a quick trip to Vegas, spending quality time with friends, having my wisdom teeth removed, and smushing my face in the soft fur of my cat and dog. I also did my fair share of laying on the couch, under an afghan, curled up next to my mom, watching movies. It's funny the things you miss when you're away.
I'm leaving on Wednesday to cruise as a passenger on the Norwegian Sea for 5 days in the Bahamas to see a friend. On March 31st, I'll walk off the Sea and onto the Dream. We'll set sail from Miami to Civitavecchia, Italy.
I'm expecting to be on the Dream until July 21st. The ship does two cruises in the Mediterranean and then heads up to Scandinavia (England, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). There aren't supposed to be very many children, and I will miss that part, but I'm sure there will be plenty of playtime anyway.
I hope you all have an awesome next four months. Remember to notice the beautiful parts of every day and reach out to each other with love. Everyone deserves to be loved. Please take care of each other and of yourselves.
Love, Genoa
1/30/03: Genoa's Dream
Hello all,
I finally get to go on the Dream! I'll join in Miami for the repo to Europe. I'm so excited! I can't wait. There are two cruises to Genoa, Italy! Will you still be there on March 31st, Matt? Is anyone else going to be there? Europe, here I come! Far away places that are more than 100 years old. Yippee!! I hope you're all doing fabulously. Big hugs and best wishes to you all.
Love always, Genoa
St. Thomas
I finally get to go on the Dream! I'll join in Miami for the repo to Europe. I'm so excited! I can't wait. There are two cruises to Genoa, Italy! Will you still be there on March 31st, Matt? Is anyone else going to be there? Europe, here I come! Far away places that are more than 100 years old. Yippee!! I hope you're all doing fabulously. Big hugs and best wishes to you all.
Love always, Genoa
St. Thomas
1/30/03: The World is Mine! :-)
Family and friends,
After nearly a year and a half, I'm finally going to cruise Europe! I've been begging to go on the Norwegian Dream, and I'M GOING!!! I go on vacation from the Norway on February 16 and I'll be roaming around for six weeks, so hopefully I can see everyone in America's Finest City. Then on March 31, I'll join to Dream in Miami. She will cruise across the Atlantic and hit Genoa, Italy, along with other amazing Mediterranean ports and over to Rome, or thereabouts. That's one cruise, then there's another one, Rome to London. From there, we'll be in Scandinavia--Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway--for the summer. Yippee!! I can't wait to see everything! Load me up with camera film. I'll finish my contract July 21st.
I hope you're all doing great, too. I miss you all.
LIVE LAUGH LOVE
Love always, Genoa
After nearly a year and a half, I'm finally going to cruise Europe! I've been begging to go on the Norwegian Dream, and I'M GOING!!! I go on vacation from the Norway on February 16 and I'll be roaming around for six weeks, so hopefully I can see everyone in America's Finest City. Then on March 31, I'll join to Dream in Miami. She will cruise across the Atlantic and hit Genoa, Italy, along with other amazing Mediterranean ports and over to Rome, or thereabouts. That's one cruise, then there's another one, Rome to London. From there, we'll be in Scandinavia--Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway--for the summer. Yippee!! I can't wait to see everything! Load me up with camera film. I'll finish my contract July 21st.
I hope you're all doing great, too. I miss you all.
LIVE LAUGH LOVE
Love always, Genoa
1/28/03: The Dream!!!
Mom,
I am on the schedule for the Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It goes to Genoa, Italy, twice and other ports in the Med, then up to Scandinavia! I can't believe it! I don't know when I'm going except that it's in March, so we should do our trip to England/Scotland in early March, just to be safe. It's cheaper for NCL to fly me to Miami on the 31st, vs. S. America earlier, but I don't want to push it. Pass the word. Yippee!!!
Love, Genoa
I am on the schedule for the Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It goes to Genoa, Italy, twice and other ports in the Med, then up to Scandinavia! I can't believe it! I don't know when I'm going except that it's in March, so we should do our trip to England/Scotland in early March, just to be safe. It's cheaper for NCL to fly me to Miami on the 31st, vs. S. America earlier, but I don't want to push it. Pass the word. Yippee!!!
Love, Genoa
1/9/03: The Legendary S/S Norway
The Legendary S/S Norway was described to me as an old lady. She was originally the S/S France, built around 1961 as an ocean liner. And (the description continues), like other old ladies (though certainly none I know), she needs a lot of makeup to look as good as these new ships. She's also called the Big Blue Canoe. Her lower half is painted royal blue. She's so long that the carpet is different colors to tell you if you're forward or aft. The forward half of the ship has blue carpet with blue criss-crosses, and the aft of the ship has red criss-crosses. The decks are referred to by their names, not by their numbers. This is quite confusing at first. I live on the 8th deck, which is the Viking deck. I remember this by saying, "I am a Viking." Below me is the Norway deck, and the Atlantic deck, and so on. On the other ships I've been on, there are 5 or 6 vertical fire zones. There's a fire team for each, and fire screen doors that can isolate a zone in case of a fire. The Legendary S/S Norway has EIGHT fire zones. Because the ship used to be an ocean liner, it's not perfectly equipped for the types of cruises we do now. Troll Land is the room we use for 6-12 year olds in low season, which just begun after the holidays. The murals on the wall are also 42 years old, and are estimated to cost $1.5 million. The room was originally the second class children's room. The Concierge's office, which is a nice size for him, was the first class children's room. Also beautifully painted, but way too small for kids to run around in. Poor rich kids. For the 2-5 year olds, we use a room called the Porthole. It used to be the dog kennel. It's long and narrow, and if you are predisposed to claustrophobia, don't stop by. Fortunately, there's an outside area (for the dogs to run in) which gives us more space for those little monkeys. In high season, we split off and use a conference room for the 10-12 year olds.
During my first week here, There was a power outtage. There were a few emergency lights, including low level lighting, which is a glow-in-the-dark striping along the bottom of all walls. I felt my way to my cabin, and left the door open to let in some light. It was neat, a little excitement for my day, but it caused us to be several hours late in leaving port. Due to that and poor weather conditions, we couldn't reach our private island that week.
My cabin is outside the disco. There's a door to the right of mine which leads to an anteroom with a door to the ladies room, then another door which opens to the disco. When the both of the doors get opened at night, as when someone leaves the disco, I can hear the music. It doesn't bother me, but I think that's why it's a crew cabin, in amongst passenger cabins. Last week I was working with teens, and two of them were in a cabin across from mine. Luckily they were cool and didn't play any pranks on me or Una. Una is my roommate. She's from Latvia and she's such a sweetheart. I thought I was lucky with my last roommate--I must be on a streak. Una's a sports afloat coordinator, so she does aerobics classes, yoga, fitness walks, etc. Our room is like a suite, especially in comparison to others I've seen on other ships. I'm on the top bunk, which is smaller than the bottom, but still roomy. Una's bunk, which I'll move down to in a few weeks when she signs off, is huge. We have a vanity and plenty of shelf space. I even got someone's old DVD player for free. There's a woman from Belgium here named Dagmar. Can you believe it? So cool. When I first got here, I thought the Norway was like a white elephant. You have to act so grateful if she's in your fleet, but she requires so much upkeep that she's a bit of a pain. Now that I'm in my fourth week here, I love her. I'm so glad my request to come here was granted. It's so neat wandering around, finding new places to explore. And now that I know my way from one place to another, I feel quite at home.
I hope you're doing marvelously. I wish you all the best for the new year. For those of you who sent cards or packages, my most heartfelt thanks. Everyone loves mail. Like I said before, I don't have as much time to email as before, so please don't send me forwards or large files. But please do drop me the occasional note to let me know you're still out there.
Love always, Genoa
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did.
During my first week here, There was a power outtage. There were a few emergency lights, including low level lighting, which is a glow-in-the-dark striping along the bottom of all walls. I felt my way to my cabin, and left the door open to let in some light. It was neat, a little excitement for my day, but it caused us to be several hours late in leaving port. Due to that and poor weather conditions, we couldn't reach our private island that week.
My cabin is outside the disco. There's a door to the right of mine which leads to an anteroom with a door to the ladies room, then another door which opens to the disco. When the both of the doors get opened at night, as when someone leaves the disco, I can hear the music. It doesn't bother me, but I think that's why it's a crew cabin, in amongst passenger cabins. Last week I was working with teens, and two of them were in a cabin across from mine. Luckily they were cool and didn't play any pranks on me or Una. Una is my roommate. She's from Latvia and she's such a sweetheart. I thought I was lucky with my last roommate--I must be on a streak. Una's a sports afloat coordinator, so she does aerobics classes, yoga, fitness walks, etc. Our room is like a suite, especially in comparison to others I've seen on other ships. I'm on the top bunk, which is smaller than the bottom, but still roomy. Una's bunk, which I'll move down to in a few weeks when she signs off, is huge. We have a vanity and plenty of shelf space. I even got someone's old DVD player for free. There's a woman from Belgium here named Dagmar. Can you believe it? So cool. When I first got here, I thought the Norway was like a white elephant. You have to act so grateful if she's in your fleet, but she requires so much upkeep that she's a bit of a pain. Now that I'm in my fourth week here, I love her. I'm so glad my request to come here was granted. It's so neat wandering around, finding new places to explore. And now that I know my way from one place to another, I feel quite at home.
I hope you're doing marvelously. I wish you all the best for the new year. For those of you who sent cards or packages, my most heartfelt thanks. Everyone loves mail. Like I said before, I don't have as much time to email as before, so please don't send me forwards or large files. But please do drop me the occasional note to let me know you're still out there.
Love always, Genoa
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did.
12/26/02: Another Group Email
Happy New Year! (It's too late to say Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas.) It's crazy busy on the LEGENDARY S/S Norway. Thankfully, the workload is balanced out by all the parties! Everything is awesome here. I'll write more another time, but the email rates just went up (it's 25 cents after 5pm on port days and only 10 cents before 5pm). I have scarce free time to email here, so please bear with me as I communicate less frequently. If I haven't been in contact with you much anyway, this shouldn't come as any big shock hee hee). I wish you all the best for the new year.
Love always, Genoa
Love always, Genoa
12/11/02: Rolling with the Punches
I found out last night that I'm transferring to the S/S Norway this weekend. I leave the Sun and the Western Caribbean on Saturday, stay in a Miami hotel overnight, and join the Norway on Sunday. She goes to St. Maarten, St. Thomas (both of which I've seen), and Great Stirrup Cay. She's about 43 years old, and is a classic ocean liner. They have documentaries about her, and I've been wanting to cruise her. The kids korner is called Troll Land and has murals worth millions of dollars. The down side to leaving is that I like this ship and these ports. I like my roommate and the girls I work with. I won't be able to meet up with my friends on the Dawn. But, overall, it's a very good change. It just came out of left field.
For those of you fretting about my Christmas and birthday and for-no-reason presents not getting to me on my new ship, my address should be the same for letters and packages, with the one change of the ship's name from Sun to Norway. And if you've already sent them, the ships are both our of Miami, so, with only a slight delay, they will find me.
As for my friends on ships, with every ship change brings old faces back into view. I hope to see you again soon.
Love always, Genoa
For those of you fretting about my Christmas and birthday and for-no-reason presents not getting to me on my new ship, my address should be the same for letters and packages, with the one change of the ship's name from Sun to Norway. And if you've already sent them, the ships are both our of Miami, so, with only a slight delay, they will find me.
As for my friends on ships, with every ship change brings old faces back into view. I hope to see you again soon.
Love always, Genoa
11/28/02: What an Awesome Week
I've had the best week. We've had lots of kids this cruise, because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Very few monkeys; the kids have been great.
I went to a turtle farm in Grand Cayman on Monday. They raise green sea turtles. The conditions aren't the best, but they release some of them and the rest are consumed (bad), but at least they aren't taking them from the ocean anymore (good). Anyway, the babies were about 6 inches long, and I saw one beast at least 5 feet long, and that was just his shell! It was so awesome to see them. The midsized ones are in a tank where you can pick them up. Some of them squirmed too much, and I let them go, but the ones who would take it got Genoa hugs. I can't wait to see the pictures.
Yesterday I went cave tubing in Belize. Fifty passengers and I took a bus an hour and a half to a rain forest. We donned our life vests and hiked, carrying our inter-tubes, about 45 minutes. It started to rain very hard. I mean HUGE raindrops! Pouring. Cats and dogs. This San Diego native has rarely seen precipitation like this. Then it let up, and someone ahead of me on the trail sang, "The other day." So I, recognizing the repeat song, responded, "The other day." We began to sing the song about an interaction with a bear, until he didn't know the next line, so I sang, and he responded. It was cool, singing along with some guy I couldn't even see. When we got to the top of the cave system, we got in the water on our tubes, with flash lights affixed by elastic to our foreheads. We entered the caves at a lazy pace (no rapids here), and more than one person was inspired to sing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." (For those of you who don't recognize that, it's the theme song for Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's what it looked like inside.) At one point, someone yelled, "Lights out!" and we all turned 'em out and floated in pitch blackness. The caves are spacious, and we saw fruit bats on the ceiling and cool formations all around. Someone also sang, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall," and the rest of us continued with the rest of the line. It was a great group of people, as might be evident. When we got out of the water, we were fed a local dish, then we took the bus back to the pier.
Today, I met up with my very good friend David, whose ship was also in Cozumel today. We went to Playa Del Carmen by ferry with a few other youth counselors, which is mainland Mexico (Central America, neat). The beach was beautiful, and when we got back to Cozumel, I picked up my clean, folded laundry from a laundromat (oh what luxuries one appreciates when away from home).
One of my favorite parts of living on a ship is having a room steward. I tip Iran (from Jamaica) $10 a week and every day he makes my bed, takes out the trash, cleans the bathroom, vacuums, replaces my towels, toilet paper and kleenex, and he changes my sheets weekly. I love this service! And they call this work?!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah.
Love always, Genoa
I went to a turtle farm in Grand Cayman on Monday. They raise green sea turtles. The conditions aren't the best, but they release some of them and the rest are consumed (bad), but at least they aren't taking them from the ocean anymore (good). Anyway, the babies were about 6 inches long, and I saw one beast at least 5 feet long, and that was just his shell! It was so awesome to see them. The midsized ones are in a tank where you can pick them up. Some of them squirmed too much, and I let them go, but the ones who would take it got Genoa hugs. I can't wait to see the pictures.
Yesterday I went cave tubing in Belize. Fifty passengers and I took a bus an hour and a half to a rain forest. We donned our life vests and hiked, carrying our inter-tubes, about 45 minutes. It started to rain very hard. I mean HUGE raindrops! Pouring. Cats and dogs. This San Diego native has rarely seen precipitation like this. Then it let up, and someone ahead of me on the trail sang, "The other day." So I, recognizing the repeat song, responded, "The other day." We began to sing the song about an interaction with a bear, until he didn't know the next line, so I sang, and he responded. It was cool, singing along with some guy I couldn't even see. When we got to the top of the cave system, we got in the water on our tubes, with flash lights affixed by elastic to our foreheads. We entered the caves at a lazy pace (no rapids here), and more than one person was inspired to sing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." (For those of you who don't recognize that, it's the theme song for Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's what it looked like inside.) At one point, someone yelled, "Lights out!" and we all turned 'em out and floated in pitch blackness. The caves are spacious, and we saw fruit bats on the ceiling and cool formations all around. Someone also sang, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall," and the rest of us continued with the rest of the line. It was a great group of people, as might be evident. When we got out of the water, we were fed a local dish, then we took the bus back to the pier.
Today, I met up with my very good friend David, whose ship was also in Cozumel today. We went to Playa Del Carmen by ferry with a few other youth counselors, which is mainland Mexico (Central America, neat). The beach was beautiful, and when we got back to Cozumel, I picked up my clean, folded laundry from a laundromat (oh what luxuries one appreciates when away from home).
One of my favorite parts of living on a ship is having a room steward. I tip Iran (from Jamaica) $10 a week and every day he makes my bed, takes out the trash, cleans the bathroom, vacuums, replaces my towels, toilet paper and kleenex, and he changes my sheets weekly. I love this service! And they call this work?!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah.
Love always, Genoa
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