Benefits/Drawbacks

We have had an incredibly lucky few weeks already here in the Baltic.  The weather has really been smashing, which can definitely make or break a trip up here.  Who would have thought that in Finland and Russia we would be able to keep a little bit of a tan or see any sunshine?!  We have been so thankful for more sunny days than cloudy, especially considering this repeating itinerary for the next few weeks. 

The last port that I was able to get off the ship in was Helsinki a few days ago.  Because of embarkation and tendering to ports it’s been a little difficult to make it off the ship in the past couple days.  Helsinki is a really nice town, though.  We love porting there because it’s not one big tourist trap like some other ports.  This is a city that has tourists visiting, but makes do in other ways.  The people live and go about their daily lives despite the tourists.  We also love porting there because the city is almost completely covered in Wi-Fi hotspots so we can be on the internet at our leisure.  (A luxury after paying for crappy internet on the ship.)   On my last visit to Helsinki I was especially pleased with my lunch found in the open harbor market.  It was a generous plate of freshly salmon and onion rings cooked up Finnish style!  Ha ha! 

Today was a little bit of a bummer.  We were meant to port in Visby, Sweden, where we usually anchor and have to tender in.  The weather was beautiful outside so I was excited to get up and explore the city, but… no such luck!  The Captain actually announced that the water was too choppy to take tenders in to the dock, so we would have to skip the port for the day!  This was crazy because it also meant the entertainment team would have to keep the guests happy the rest of the day with games, lectures, movies, etc.  Needless to say, it’s been an interesting day of being on call and ready to go… just in case!

These interesting circumstances are a constant reminder that I’m not working in a normal theatre.  I mean- I am not working in a normal situation at all!  Living and working on a cruise ship is COMPLETELY unique to any life experience I think I will ever encounter.  My dear friend Lindsay and I like to analyze cruise ship life with a little game we call “Benefit/Drawback.”  Here are some highlights of the ongoing list of benefits and drawbacks of living/working on a ship:

Benefits:

Seeing the world

Making a living doing what we love

Eating amazing food in passenger areas

Meeting interesting guests from all over

Ample reading time

Performing

Looking forward to world cruise

Wearing our own clothes after 6 pm

Sunsets at 1:00 am

Having a stewardess.  Thank you, Ronalyn.

Getting to know crew members who can help you out.

Living in the same corridor as the whole cast

Norway

 

Drawbacks:

Wearing an ugly uniform

Shower curtains that stick to you because the stall is way to tiny

Shower water that could freeze or scald you with no notice in a second

Eating at scheduled times

Military time

Drills (Crew drill and passenger drill)

Not understanding what other crew are saying…even when they are speaking English

The last 7 weeks of the Baltic

Wearing a name tag

Finding US Dollars

Paying for slow internet

Russia

 

Love you all!!!

Tripp  (with some help from Lindsay Karchawer)