Sea This!

(Originally written on 8-22-10)

So I got to check another thing off my list tonight of exciting things to do on my cruise. Warning: I’m probably the only one who cares, but I’m writing this knowing I will go back and read it one day and remember how important it was. All the exciting stuff like “Go to Italy” and “Go to France” I got to check off pretty early on in the cruise.

I’m very fortunate to have a nice amount of free time on the ship to actually be a passenger. I can go to shows quite easily, I can eat in the dining room, and I can take advantage of all the wonderful passenger amenities (including getting brownies at midnight – which may or may not get a good thing). Unfortunately, since I do work during sea days, it makes it hard – almost impossible – to do regular sea day activities. For instance, I’ve never participated in book club, attended a group fitness class, or had the opportunity to attend some of the neat lectures. But, that’s the way it goes. When you’re not paying for your cruises, you have to miss out on some things.

However, there was one thing I always wanted to try and do, and given my sea day schedule, it was very difficult. Every morning, when I go up to the buffet for breakfast, I pass by the pool. Most of the time the waters are calm, but when the ship starts rocking, the water in the pool moves back and forth and creates sort of a “wave pool”. The more the rocking, the more the waves. It’s always looked like fun, but since I grab breakfast shortly before work, I have to just admire the waves from afar. For the past few months, everytime I saw those rocking waves in the pool, I told myself that one day it would be me.

Pulling it off, though, is very tricky. It has to be when we’re at sea, and since I teach a lot of that time, it doesn’t leave much of an option. It also has to be when the ship is rocking a good amount back and forth. We’ve been blessed with relatively smooth sailing this season, so it doesn’t happen to often.

But tonight, the ship was extra rocky. It had been rocky all day but it wasn’t until the night that I remembered one of my ship goals. After dinner, I went upstairs to survey the area to see how the pool was. It was full-o-waves and still open. I’m not a fan of swimming at night (since it was awfully cold out), but I figured this would be one of my few chances, so I grabbed it. I ran downstairs to change and then came back up. Of course I was the only one in the pool, but that was actually a good thing. I hopped in the water (which was quite cold) and finally enjoyed the moment of being in the waves.

If you’ve ever been in a wave pool at a water park it’s very similar, except it’s in an enclosed space. I just had fun being in the waves and going back and forth between the water. Yay pools. I would swim from one side to other, staying in place for part of it, and then letting the waves carry me for the rest of the way. Yay physics. I got a few funny looks from onlookers, but they don’t understand. I even had a couple of people join me for a few seconds, but then they got out because it was too cold.

After being in the water for a good half hour, I decided it was time to leave. As I was getting out, I was very dizzy. It’s not easy going back and forth in the waves during that time.

Anyway, like I said, I’m probably the only one who cares but not at least I can happily knock something else off my list! And as of writing this, the ship is still rocking (which makes me extra tired). For those of you on terra firma, be glad your house does not rock back and forth each day!

Ship Life pool

I’ve been meaning to write an entry about my thoughts on breakfast and other ship food, but for now, I have a breakfast dilemma that I’d like advice on.

For the most part, the free food on the ship is pretty awesome. Lunch and dinner is fantastic – almost too good. However, free food is not without its pitfalls, unfortunately. I try to eat a nice balanced breakfast everyday. Seriously, my plate looks like one of those “part of a balanced breakfast” segments of the commercial. I usually have eggs, some fruit, and cereal. They have a somewhat wide variety of choices for cereal, but if you knock out the sweet stuff it only leaves a few choices.

I try to have a cereal high in fiber every morning. I’ve been rotating between the Raisin Bran and the All Bran Wheat Flakes. I thought I was doing fine until, one day, I made the mistake of looking at the back of the box to see the ingredients. Near the top of the list was my good friend, “high fructose corn syrup”. Boo. I’ve been lucky to avoid it in my non-American soda, but there it was rearing its ugly head during breakfast. I try to avoid HFCS in everything that I can as it’s not very good for you. It’s right behind “sugar” on the ingredients list, too. Seriously, if you’re going to put in sugar why do you even bother with more sweetener? I was disappointed to learn that even the straight up All Bran – which tastes like cardboard – also has HFCS in it. How can something that tastes like cardboard have something so sweet?

If I was back at home, this would be much easier. I could just throw out my box and buy some new cereal from a wide variety of choices. On the ship, not so much. So, the way I see it, I have a few options:

1) Suck it up and continue to eat my high-fiber cereal with HFCS in it. This would be the easiest and least-fuss option. Also, HFCS isn’t the first ingredient in either cereal, so I suppose it’s not too bad…

2) Go out and buy new cereal and then bring it to breakfast everyday. This would be a huge hassle but at least I could get what I’d want. I’d also most likely have to find it in small boxes for easy travel.

3) Find something else high-fiber to eat in the morning. The problem is, I’m limited to just traditional breakfast items. Any suggestions? I hear the Brits like to have baked beans on toast for breakfast which sounds in high in fiber, but I don’t know if that’s as fun to eat as cereal ..

Food, Ship Life breakfast, fiber

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about what a typical teaching day is like for me, so I thought I would go into some detail on my downtime. Now remember, I only teach on sea days. On port days I can offer classes, but I can take the day off and go see the sights if I want to, as well (which I usually do).

On a typical sea day, I get up in the morning and have a proper breakfast in the officer’s dining hall (usually Raisin Bran and/or an omelette with ham and cheese – the menu doesn’t change). Then, I head to work. All of my classes take place in the Internet Café (the spot where passengers go to use the internet), which can be both a good and bad thing. It’s good in that my venue never changes; on other ships you have to teach classes in different places since there is no dedicated spot. It’s bad, though, in that a lot of people think I am the person that runs the internet, so I say “I’m just the computer instructor” a lot. Sometimes people even come up to me while I’m teaching classes!

I usually teach 5-6 classes a day (with a break for lunch). Before my classes start, I may offer a complimentary lecture or have office hours. The complimentary lecture is usually called “Discover the Magic of Digital Photo Editing” and it introduces people what a digital photo is and all the things you can do with it in Photoshop. It also talks about all the other classes that we offer. Sometimes a lot of people show up, sometimes only a few. It really depends. I notice the smaller classes are more fun, because people are more likely to ask questions and interact with me.

After the lecture (or if I’m not doing one), I start teaching my computer classes. There is a fee for each class, but they actually get to work with the computer programs (in the lectures, they do not). I teach all different kinds of classes: Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Windows, Movie Maker, etc. and I teach them for all different skill levels. Eventually I plan to offer internet-based courses, although those are a little trickier. You can check out the schedule I posted from an earlier cruise to get an idea of the classes.

The most popular classes – by far – are the Photoshop classes. People take a lot of photos on their vacation and they want to learn how to edit and organize them for when they get home. It’s really fun to watch the progress people make in just a short time. One woman started off having never used Photoshop in her life, and by the end she was using Layers and Selections like a pro.

The Office classes, while smaller, are also fun to teach. While I have a curriculum of things to teach, I almost always go “off” it based on the skill level of the class or the student. It can be tricky, though. One time I was teaching an advanced Excel Data class. One guy had used Excel for many years and knew it inside and out; the other guy had just started to learn what a spreadsheet was. Because they were both in the same class, I had to teach in such a way that the advanced user could still learn something, but the beginner wasn’t left in the dark.

Teaching computer classes may sound easy, but it’s not. It’s not really a question of “skill,” but more of patience. You have eight different people, eight different skill levels, and you’re trying to make sure that everyone learns something but also that no one is left behind. I show people how to do something in the front of the class, but then I walk to each person’s computer screen to make sure everyone is on the same page (so no one gets lost). It’s also helpful to learn how to not use a program. For instance, a student may get an error by clicking the wrong button or having the wrong properties set. It’s good to know how they got there and how to get them back.

When I’m not teaching classes, I also have the option to offer private classes. Those are one-on-one and can be whenever the person wants about any topic the person wants. For instance, I’ve had people ask me specific questions about how to use their personal computer. I’ve also taught people how to use a computer for the first time. The private lessons can be fun, but they also can be challenging since I don’t have a curriculum I can “stick” to.

Remember, I’m a one person department, so I do it all. I teach all the classes, and I am responsible for all the paperwork. When people register for classes, after the day is done, I have to process the charges and figure out how much money was made for the day. The more classes and students I have, the more work there is to do. I also have to spend time preparing for the next cruise. I’m still learning what classes, times, and combinations work and don’t work. It’s hard to gauge what each cruise is going to be like, but I’m still learning.

I hear a lot of my friends ask, “Who the heck would want to learn computer classes on a cruise ship?” And the answer is – plenty of people. Like I said earlier, people are taking these vacation photos, but they really want to know what to do with them. Also, a cruise ship is a place where you learn how to do lots of things you might not otherwise learn to do on land – meringue, paint ceramics, learn to play bridge.

So, now that I’ve talked about what my teaching days are like, are there any other specific questions?

Classes, Ship Life Classes, teaching

Last night I went to bed at a reasonable hour (for once) and I didn’t have to wake up until 7, but I ended waking up at 5. And since we moved the clocks forward an hour, it was really 4. I got ready for work, and at 6:30, I thought I would head down to the dining room for a traditional breakfast (instead of the usual buffet). But the problem is, they don’t open until 7:30. Lesson learned. So, I had an hour to kill. Normally at home I would just use that extra hour to surf the internet. But, I’m on a cruise ship. So instead, I decided to go sit out on deck, listen to the calming noise of the sea, and actually sit down and write about my experience so far as I watch the sunrise. I swear, I feel like I’m in a Corona commercial

So I’ve been posting little bits and pieces when I can, but I haven’t really had a chance to talk about everything that happened my first few days. It’s been a week that I’ve been on the ship, so I’ll try to remember the best that I can.

After saying my goodbyes to everyone I could, and frantically packing (and almost losing my passport!), my boyfriend (James) and I headed down Thursday night to our nice hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a pleasant upscale hotel that charged way too much for valet parking but was right on the water and was only a five minute drive from where my ship left out of. We had some difficulties getting into our room; little did I know this would be foreshadowing for my next day on the ship.

Friday morning I woke up knowing in just a few short hours I would be at sea. I didn’t know what to expect, and so I said some last-minute phone goodbyes. I knew it was final when I took the SIM card out of my iPhone, switched to my new phone (see earlier entry), and called AT&T to make it final. This was it. No turning back now. We left our hotel and James drove me down to Port Everglades where the ship was set to leave out of. Little did I know the adventure had yet to really begin.

For those who haven’t cruised before, there are many ships that leave out of port on a given day. My ship was the Grand Princess and luckily it wasn’t too difficult to find. Getting on the ship – however – was a whole ‘nother story. I was warned that it can embarkation day can be very tricky for computer instructors. I’m not quite crew, I’m not quite a passenger, and I could be on either list, but I should try to go through crew first. The passengers get on a different place than the crew does, and I managed to find that special crew entrance. With my bags in hand, I show the security guard my special “boarding letter,” they consult a special “crew manifest,” and see that I’m not on the list (later I would learn I wasn’t supposed to be, because the list is only for people already ON the ship). Security is confused, and they think I might be on the passenger list instead, and so they send me to the passenger entrance.

So, I go there, they check another list, realize I was at the right place initially, and send me back to the crew entrance. Now I’m starting to feel like I’m going in circles. The security guard still isn’t convinced I’m supposed to be on the ship, so he escorts me to gangway where someone else will “take it from there”. Here is where I officially say goodbye to James (and have to start carrying my luggage on my own – boo). And my “escort” really isn’t much of one. He stays by my side, but when it comes time for me load my luggage onto the security belt, I have to do it ALL myself, and that luggage is gosh darn heavy. Eventually, though, we get through security, I arrive at the gangway, and get to wait some more.

When I get to gangway (a.k.a. the entrance to the ship) I meet another security guard who also isn’t sure what to do with me. She checks the incoming crew list, and thankfully I’m on. It was relieving to finally see my name on a list. I was worried for a while that I would never get on because they thought I was making my job up. But even though I’m on a list, that doesn’t mean I get on the ship any easier. I still ending up waiting about an hour or two while the onboard officials “sorted out matters”. All the while I’m standing alone, with my luggage, and I can see into the ship, but I can’t get on. And to top it all off, I wasn’t too far from where I said goodbye to James, so he could see me the entire time waiting and just standing there. We couldn’t really do anything though, because there was a fence between us.  I watched as tons of crew effortlessly got on and off the ship, and I hoped that soon I would be doing that too.

After talking to several different crew members, another security official finally comes out to welcome me aboard the ship and take me to the crew office. I can’t believe it – I’m FINALLY getting to board the ship. We walk through the entrance and I feel a bit more relaxed. As he weaves me through the crew hallways, I have no idea where the heck I am, but he drops me off at the crew office where I see a few people sitting behind computers surrounded by files. They ask me my name and information, and so begins the fun task of explaining my status – not quite crew and not quite passenger. I get everything sorted out in here, and then the assistant cruise director comes to show me my room – all right, now we’re in business! Since I’m technically under “entertainment,” and the cruise directors handle the ship’s entertainment, they are technically my boss.  Kinda weird, but that’s how it works.

The assistant cruise director shows me to my crew room – 4250. The problem is, we don’t quite know where it is. When you are a passenger on the ship, they make your room very easy to find. Down in the crew area, the rooms have no sense or order or logic, so it’s really just a giant guess. We spent a good twenty minutes walking around through the hallways trying to find where it was. All the while, I’m carrying behind TWO large suitcases and a duffle bag (the nice thing about driving is that I can pack whatever I want). On other cruise ships, the passengers hallways are nice, long, and straight. In the crew area, they twist, turn, and sometimes have very high doorways. It was quite a workout carrying all my luggage and certainly made me appreciate those long passenger hallways.

We finally find my room and – of course – it is locked. So I have to wait patiently while the cruise director tracks down a key. I sit down in front of my new room for the next few months. I can’t go inside yet, and I have just a tiny inch of cell-phone reception, so I make a few phone calls with my downtime. Another lady finally comes back with a key, lets me into my room, and finally I have a place to put my stuff (although I would have to wait until 30 minutes before she brought me my own copy of a key). But finally – I am in my room and have a place to put my stuff. I can finally rest … or so I think.

My roommate is currently not in the room, so I don’t have a chance to meet her yet. I notice there is a patter (aka daily schedule) on my desk of the day activities. I’m expecting a nice, relaxing evening of getting settled into the ship with no obligations. When I look at the schedule, I see that I’ve been scheduled for welcome hours between 7-10pm. So much for relaxing.

And so I’ll have to stop my story here. My fingers are starting to get cold, the sun is starting to rise, and I’m starting to get a little hungry. I will continue my story later.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left me comments, notes, e-mails – what have you. I don’t have time to respond to them all at the moment because I am quite busy, but I do read them all and enjoy them!

First Week, Ship Life cruise director, embarkation, goodbye