Voyage the First...

So much has happened since I was last able to update.

Getting on to the ship was an ordeal in it of itself. I woke up ridiculously early in order to catch the bus to Port Canaveral, which left at 5:15AM, and then proceeded to sleep all the way there. This was to my favor since from the moment the bus stopped we were busy doing things like getting our passports checked, having our bags sniffed by drug dogs, going through security (twice), and being shuffled on board ship. From here we immediately went into Human Resources (HR) training and received the first of many tours of the ship.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you one thing. Coming over the hill and getting my first sight of the ship is something I’ll never forget. She’s huge, beautiful, and so classically styled that the other ships docked next to her pale in comparison. I never really thought of ships as beautiful, but The Dream changed my opinion. Inside she’s a showcase of art deco styling and elegance. The chandelier in the atrium took my breath away the first time I saw it in person. She’s a gorgeous ship, and a much more beautiful place to work than anywhere else I’ve been. Plus, the location(s) can’t be beat. :)

Anyhow - back to day one on board. After having our tour of all 14 decks and the myriad of endless staircases we were allowed to go to our staterooms. I wish there had been a camera set up to capture me entering my cabin for for the first time. It was quite comical, seeing as how I got stuck in the door at the same time I realized the cabin was roughly 7x10 and meant for two people. The top bunk lay waiting for me and the first journey into the bathroom was ridiculous. You don’t know small. No matter what you’ve dealt with, nothing compares to this. I promise you. With all that being said, after talking to other crew members who’ve been on ships, these are some of the nicest crew cabins around. I will say they are quite comfortable once you get over the size factor, and the bathroom is entirely manageable as well. Compact and functional. I will be very glad to get in a proper shower in four months, though. Very. Glad.

The first night on board was a little rough. Not because of homesickness or anything like that. It was rough because this is the end of hurricane season and there were 30-40ft swells going on. Also, my room in the the most forward section of the ship which means every time a wave crashes against the hull I hear something akin to cannon fire. So, there I am laying in my wee little twin bed, hearing cannon fire, and feeling the ship dip and rise like a seesaw. At several moments, my feet were tilted higher than my head. I thought we were going down and we were all gonna die. Good news: I don’t get seasick! Our HR Trainer said if we could survive the conditions of that first night, we could survive anything. Here’s for surviving anything!

Moving on - as a Youth Activities Counselor I’m technically given the rank of Petty Officer which means I get certain privileges, like guest area access and bi-weekly cabin cleaning, and most importantly, I can go see the shows. I’ve seen all three! Villains Tonight! and The Golden Mickeys, both of which have the technology and quality standard to rival a true Broadway production. I was very impressed. Believe is by far my favorite. It even made me cry. (Yes, yes, some of you are rolling your eyes at that... “Ally cries at everything!” is flying out of your mouth. Shut it.) If you get the chance to go see it, or can find a legal recording of it (yes, legal), WATCH IT! So good!

In a previous blog post I told you all about the Oceaneer Club and Lab spaces on board ship. Well, come to find out there are even more spaces to hang out. It’s A Small World Nursery (Under 3yrs), Edge (for 11-13yrs), and Vibe (14-17yrs) are the other spaces and they are equally as awesome as the Oceaneer Club and Lab. My YA training coordinator said that we can work in each space and find which one we like best during training. We can also audition to become a Youth Entertainment Host, which is what I feel like I’ll end up doing. ;)

I know some of you have asked about my uniform (commonly referred to as costumes at DCL). Prepare yourself for awesomeness. It’s hot. I have to beat the men off with a stick due to my complete and utter hotness whilst wearing my uniform. I don’t know why more women don’t dress this way. Totes gonna find me a man while in this uniform. It’s a gorgeously baggy polyester polo in bright BRIGHT yellow, paired with the most adorably shapeless royal blue slacks and matching belt. To complete the look, all white leather sneakers and white socks. The ensemble as a whole is breathtaking when worn together. I know... you’re so jealous. It’s ok. I would be too. In fact, I’m gonna kick it up a notch and make you even more jealous. It comes with a shapeless blue shorts option that can be worn before 6PM. Yes. Blew your mind didn’t I? Not to ruin you day with the rain of jealousy you’re now experiencing but there’s more... I have beach wear! Blue swim shorts, yellow mesh shirt, and navy bathing suit. I know! It’s okay if we can’t be friends for a little bit due to your jealousy at this point. I can wait. (All joking aside, it’s not that bad. I’m just dramatic - in case you didn’t know.)

After receiving my costumes, an ordeal due to a mix-up between my card and my (male) friend Lex’s and a language barrier, I got back into work with my YA Training coordinator. We’ve gone over enough safety and health standards to make you head spin. But I can now clean a space to a USPH regulated level and save your child with an EPI pen if need be. Wahbam!

On top of YA Training Sessions, I also have the last little bit of HR Training Sessions. In the one about Crew Life, we learned about a program entitled VoluntEARS (get it?). Basically, what happens is while we’re in port in Nassau or Port Canaveral you go and volunteer with fellow crew members. After you log ten hours (and for every subsequent 10 hrs) of volunteer time Walt Disney Company will cut a check for $100 to a charity of your choice. Once I figure out my schedule, I will be doing this. My check will be going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of my mom.

I’ve met people from all over the world in the past week - South Africa, England, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, Philippines, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Romania, Italy, Hungary, Montenegro, China, everywhere you can possibly imagine. Officers, bartenders, housekeeping, waiters, engineers, security, and entertainment. We are one BIG family or roughly 1500 members at the moment. It’s a little daunting when you think about it, but already I’m recognizing people on my treks through the I-95 (the main corridor used by crew to get from one end of the ship to the other.). Everyone seems pretty nice so far. Granted, several have pointed at us (since the newbies move in packs for safety, lol) and shouted, “Fresh Meat!” That was interesting. I just wave and smile. It’s all good natured fun right?

I am partially convinced that the staircases move, like in Harry Potter. In fact, I swear they do. I come up a new hallway everyday and realize I’ve never been there before and have no idea where I am. It’s the reason I leave at least 15 minutes early for everything. I inevitably get lost. That and the watertight doors. I hate the watertight doors. I mark out a path to get somewhere and then one of those suckers gets closed for whatever reason and I am screwed. I have to backtrack and go up and over somehow, and with the potentially moving staircases this is quite an issue for me. Therefore, unless they are saving me from sinking, I hate the watertight doors. End of story.

Our schedule is pretty steady as far as the cruise itineraries go. We have back to back cruises on a 4-day/3-day schedule, leaving out of Canaveral every Sunday and Thursday. It’s Canaveral, Nassau, Castaway Cay, Sea Day, Canaveral. The cruises are essentially the same, except the 3-day cruise doesn’t have the Sea Day. Our ports of call are beautiful. I posted some pictures on my Facebook and many more will follow once I get a chance to go out and explore the islands. I did find out that I can put a request in to do the Dolphin Program in Nassau and if there’s room I can go - FOR FREE! Swimming with dolphins for free? Epic Win. Also found out you can rent a scooter and go zooming about Nassau... hmmm. May be doing that too. (With a friend of course!)

Castaway Cay is Disney’s own tropical paradise complete with private runway. Yeah. Luckily the crew gets their own private beach and grill in Serenity Bay. Mostly though, as a YA Counselor, I’ll be working on the island while we’re there at Scuttle’s Cove doing all kinds of fun beachy things with the kids. In my awesome beachwear, of course. And Haley - this is when I’ll be wearing my sandals... you know which ones.

That seems like enough for now. Sending everyone my love from the seas! Over and out!