Going Somewhere That's Shiny ...
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 lighting director in Hawaii.
It's definitely a different type of ship. Most of the ship is cabins. No casino, no night club ... just two theatre spaces with killer lighting rigs and a few other guest amenities. This ship was born for this route, which has no "Fun Days At Sea" (non-port days) and count 'em, TWO overnight ports per week. The ship never leaves US waters, and must therefore fly the American flag.
Now, before you think I'm getting all misty eyed and patriotic, this aspect makes the ship different in several ways. First, the ship must follow not only ILO and IMO rules (International Labor Organization, and Int'l Maritime Org, respectively), but more stringent United States labor and safety practices as well. For example, the company must pay overtime for over 40 hours per week as opposed to over 300 hours per month. With an average of a 60 hour work week, this translates to roughly cha-ching for workers.
Another difference is this ship stays in US waters. This allows cellular service for about 90% of the time while at sea. Normally, cellular service is limited to either time in port, or being charged international rates plus a hefty fee from the ship's cell carrier for both data and phone.
One thing I miss about being in the international fleet is the multi-cultural background of the crew. On other ships, I am hard pressed to find a person from the United States, but here it is an exotic treat to meet someone on the crew who isn't from less than 50 miles from my house.
As far as the run itself, I haven't actually made it on land yet, save for a trip from the airport to the ship. I can tell you that the weather is unreasonably beautiful. It is the middle of August close to the equator, and the temperature at noon is in the low 80's. Yes, Fahrenheit (sp?). I have my first chance to get off ship tomorrow, so I'll tell you about the endless coconut-and-poi buffet later.
But what about my precious psyche? It is much better, thank you for asking. The interminable wait for The Call has ended. For those of you wanting to get into careers in either ships or entertainment, that feeling that you have while waiting for the cast list to be posted on the wall never gets better. But the upshot is that the adrenaline high you get from finally getting The Call never gets old either.
Posted via LjBeetle
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 lighting director in Hawaii.
It's definitely a different type of ship. Most of the ship is cabins. No casino, no night club ... just two theatre spaces with killer lighting rigs and a few other guest amenities. This ship was born for this route, which has no "Fun Days At Sea" (non-port days) and count 'em, TWO overnight ports per week. The ship never leaves US waters, and must therefore fly the American flag.
Now, before you think I'm getting all misty eyed and patriotic, this aspect makes the ship different in several ways. First, the ship must follow not only ILO and IMO rules (International Labor Organization, and Int'l Maritime Org, respectively), but more stringent United States labor and safety practices as well. For example, the company must pay overtime for over 40 hours per week as opposed to over 300 hours per month. With an average of a 60 hour work week, this translates to roughly cha-ching for workers.
Another difference is this ship stays in US waters. This allows cellular service for about 90% of the time while at sea. Normally, cellular service is limited to either time in port, or being charged international rates plus a hefty fee from the ship's cell carrier for both data and phone.
One thing I miss about being in the international fleet is the multi-cultural background of the crew. On other ships, I am hard pressed to find a person from the United States, but here it is an exotic treat to meet someone on the crew who isn't from less than 50 miles from my house.
As far as the run itself, I haven't actually made it on land yet, save for a trip from the airport to the ship. I can tell you that the weather is unreasonably beautiful. It is the middle of August close to the equator, and the temperature at noon is in the low 80's. Yes, Fahrenheit (sp?). I have my first chance to get off ship tomorrow, so I'll tell you about the endless coconut-and-poi buffet later.
But what about my precious psyche? It is much better, thank you for asking. The interminable wait for The Call has ended. For those of you wanting to get into careers in either ships or entertainment, that feeling that you have while waiting for the cast list to be posted on the wall never gets better. But the upshot is that the adrenaline high you get from finally getting The Call never gets old either.
Posted via LjBeetle