Hawaii. For those who haven't been there, the most common thought is of luaus, poi and flashes of Magnum PI. After being on the Pride Of America for over a month, I finally got some land time. today in the city. My initial attitude upon disembarking was one of relief and anticipation of experiencing the island paradise. I have been to enough exotic ( Read more... )

I had been on land for almost a year, in one place. That is no good for my psyche. My blood slows down, my eyes get bored, my brain goes into auto-pilot, and I sulk. Badness.

But look ho! Here's a cruise line I've never worked for in a part of the world I've never seen. I am now working for Norwegian Cruise Line on the MS Pride Of America as the new ( Read more... )

End of another contract. I'm sitting in what has got to be the best international airport in the world. Vancouver is an unreasonably beautiful city with clean streets, public buses that run on electricity from overhead powerlines, cops who are helpful, suburbs that are much more beautiful than yours (I don't care where you live -- I am willing to ( Read more... )

My first view of Alaska was from the forward deck of the MV Mercury, the red-headed stepchild of the Celebrity fleet. She was on the verge of being sold to a rival cruise line overseas, but like any smart parent attempting to sell their child, Celebrity had broken out the paint and dressed the Merc in her Sunday best. Rust spots were ground away ( Read more... )

It's been awhile, and I know that the teeming millions of my fans have been waiting on pins and needles. I got sucked into a nasty Facebook addiction, but it's totally under control now. I can quit anytime I want ( Read more... )

North Atlantic water is greenblack.  Not blackish green or greenish black, "greenblack."  It is simultaneously and fully both colors.  It hides an ancient anger under its impervious surface -- even the foam made by the ship intruding through it hurries back into the depths so as not to belie its true nature.  It's anger isn't focused on anything in ( Read more... )

 Mealtime on the Solstice is a gamble in the crew mess. I have the good fortune to be a staff member, which provides me the option of eating in the guest area, and enjoying guest food during off-peak hours. But once in awhile, I am too busy or too lazy to dress appropriately for this privilege so I eat in the crew area.

Most food in the crew mess ( Read more... )

I have nothing interesting to say, and nothing to bitch about.  What a nice change of pace.  I'm sitting in a Starbuck's in Kusadasi getting free internet, sipping a chai latte, and sniffin' my new leather jacket purchased from a local leathery.  Life seldom gets better than this!  

 If I could save time in a bottle?  No problem!  Ship-time is already in a bottle.  Ship in a bottle ... okay, enough with the metaphors already.  We get it.

Since being on ship with Celebrity, the days of the week have lost meaning.  During my stint with Carnival, we had seven-day cruises, which meant that every Sunday, we were in Miami.  On this ( Read more... )

Yeah. So I hate techno music now. I haven’t heard this much techno since ... well, since I lived with a gay girl. I have heard some good imaginative techno music in my lifetime, but all this house techno could be done by a monkey with an Apple IIe and it is turning me against all techno in general. But watching a bunch of scantily-clad gay men ( Read more... )