Sun, Jan 28th – Six weeks (five cruises!) to go!

I’ve been sailing for 92 days, which is 13 cruises. That brings my lifetime achievement up to 64 cruises! I have 42 days and 5 cruises left to go, starting with this one! We’re back to the one-week of Central America that we got used to. Next week we’ll have another 2-week run in the Southern Caribbean and it’ll be all one-week’s after that. Here’s this week’s itinerary:

Monday – Key West, Florida
Tuesday – Sea Day
Wednesday – Belize City, Belize
Thursday – Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala
Friday – Costa Maya, Mexico
Saturday – sea day
Sunday – Tampa, Florida

Thurs, Jan 26th – Black and White Officers’ Ball

The good news is: I’m back to singing! The bad news is: I missed six out of eight new ports on this 2-week cruise! Oh well, we’ll be back in three weeks…

Meantime, tonight was the big Black and White Officers’ Ball! Everyone is required to dress up formal in black and white, so I picked the most glamorous red dress in my closet to stand out in! Ha ha! All of the officers looked mighty handsome in their formal white uniforms, and the hour-long dance was punctuated with me happily larking six of my favorite ballroom dance tunes. The two male production singers, Xavier and Brad, also chipped in with a song each, and the entire night was a smashing success!

Wed, Jan 24 – Flu and vocal rest

Well, unfortunately I haven’t blogged in about a week, and worse than that, I haven’t been off the ship or out into a single port for six straight days! I’ve had the symptoms of an oncoming flu, and as that is a major work hazard for me, the ship’s doctor has put me on a strict regimen of vocal rest.

While I haven’t been sick enough to be quarantined (it’s only the SYMPTOMS of flu, so this is just precautionary treatment), the doctor has actually suggested that I get out for some fresh air and visit the ports. The only restriction is that I am not allowed to speak at all – which is VERY hard to do when you’re a visitor in a new country! It’s a pain to have to write everything down, things like asking directions or prices. And especially when you’re in a country where English is not the first language. It puts TWO language barriers between you and the locals.

So :::sigh::: I have resigned myself to stay aboard and rest as much as possible, even more than the doctor ordered, so I can get back to work as soon as possible. Granted, I have missed such wonderful ports as Dominica, Grenada, Barbados, Venezuela, Bonaire, and Aruba that I was really looking forward to, since these are six new countries I’ve never been to before, and even from the deck of the ship they look really amazingly beautiful. But more than that, I have missed singing six Lido sets and one sailaway. Luckily, my boys have covered for me not being there with them, playing a lot of instrumental jazz.

And everyone around me has been SOOO wonderful being patient with my gestures and charades and taking time to write things down so they can read them. Being quiet has made me a much better listener, and has taught me again how to think before I speak. It’s been a hard time, but a good lesson learned.

The good news is: I am on the mend! Even today I feel better, and the doctor has officially returned me to “light duty.” But my Music Director and my Cruise Director have requested that I rest for one more day, then get back into it slowly tomorrow to gear up for tomorrow night’s big Officer’s Ball, at which they will definitely need a good singer. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

Thur, Jan 18th - St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix) are known as “America’s Caribbean.” After the Panama Canal opened up, the US recognized the strategic advantage of having a Caribbean military base, but took 50 years to purchase these. In 1917, the US paid $25 million for these three little islands, and at nearly $300 per acre, they (along with Alaska) were considered to be Seward’s Folly. However, when you look at today’s real estate prices and the gorgeous views, I think it’s only a shame that more Americans don’t get out to see this part of the “country.”

Today, after our Lido set, I went out into the port with my two new boys: Mike, from Canada, who plays bass, and Mischa, a Russian from New Jersey, who plays guitar.

We had limited time, so we took a taxi into downtown to try to get to the heart of the good stuff. The market was full of all the normal tourist-trap trinkets, shirts, island dresses, knick-knacks, and my only purchase: postcards.

After picking up a few things, we headed straight for one of the closest “historical” sites, the “99 Steps.” It’s a very long staircase, with beautiful flora all along the sides on the way up. Altitude changes prompted colonists to add staircases all over the island. Completed in the mid-1700s by Danish builders, these steps were fashioned from a ship’s ballast. (We counted, there’s actually 103 steps to the top!)

I raced them to the top, and they had a fun time trying to keep up. Ha ha! But the reward at the top was the pure view of the port of St. Thomas. This is what Seward bought!


(P.S. Another entry to the dead blog from here!)

Wed, Jan 17th - San Juan, Puerto Rico

This is the beautiful port of San Juan, Puerto Rico! It is a cruise ship terminal built in the center of an already bustling town, the capital of the country. But the best thing I figured out today was that I was in a US Territory… that means I can make phone calls! It was hilarious to shock my best friend for a second into thinking that I was standing on her front porch step (I’m notorious for pulling off great surprises).

We docked in the middle of downtown San Juan this afternoon at 4 pm. Gordon and Boz and I had decided to go “looking for trouble” together. Well, trouble found us quicker than we expected. We didn’t even get past the gangway before trouble found us…

There’s a new port manning system put into place this weekend, and like any technology, it has premiered with a fair share of glitches. Gordon was supposedly on when he should have been off, and my ID had expired with my first contract, and had not automatically renewed with my extension. So here we are, like Keystone cops, bumbling around the gangway just trying to get off the dang ship.

But finally we managed to get out by about 4:30. After a few quick phone calls, we began the deliberations for a taxi. This is a much higher-stress situation than it should be. Unfortunately, the taxis are mini-vans, so they’ll only take you for $4/person if you have four or more people. So whilst trying to gather a few more friends from different departments, speaking different languages, all trying to go to the same place, we got into some tiffs. Gordon needed to go to a FedEx to drop off a package for work, the photogs wanted to go to the mall, one girl had to meet a friend by 6 pm, Boz was doing the smooth talking and translating, and I was just sort of along for the ride.

Long story short, we got to FedEx in the nick of time, the girl met her friend in plenty of time, the cab only cost us $2 extra, and Boz made sure everyone was copasetic before parted and agreed on a time to meet back.

So Boz and Gordon and I were shopping in a mall. Not ideally what I wanted to do in San Juan, (I’d rather be out soaking up the historical stuff) but I looked at the situation as an opportunity to search for the yellow formal dress I need to wear to my sister’s wedding in a few months.

At the end of the day, no dress. But Boz found a few great pairs of shorts, almost lost his sunglasses (recovered them) and did some talking about tanzanite with the girl from Tiffany & Co., I got a few new blouses for a real good price, and Gordon got a delectable pastry stuffed with chocolate. We also all gathered for coffee at Borders before we decided to head back to the ship.

The boys decided to get dressed for the evening (it had turned a bit cool and rainy after the sun went down) and to head back out on the town for an evening of dinner and carousing. I decided to stay back on the ship and make phone calls before I had to get ready for an evening performance in the Crow’s Nest.

All in all, I did enjoy my day in San Juan. The port itself is exquisite, built for embarkations and departures by Carnival CL. But I am most definitely looking forward to making plans ahead of time when we return back in three weeks, so I can see all the beautiful places, historical sites, and educational value that Puerto Rico has to offer.

(P.S. For those of you watching the dead blog, we did get some good ones at a big water fountain sculpture here; so surf on over and check ‘em out!)

Tues, Jan 16th – Tonight, “Atlantic Time Zone”

For the past ten weeks we’ve been going back and forth between the Eastern and Central time zones. This means that twice a week we have to change our clocks one hour forward and one hour back. It’s nice to get an extra hour of sleep early in the week, but we usually lose the hour again on the final sea day.

However, this week we’re not traveling west to Central America, but to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. That means that tonight as we leave the Eastern Time Zone, on our way to Puerto Rico, we’ll cross over to the Atlantic Time Zone and lose an hour of sleep first! I am only soothed by the reminder that we’ll get this hour back on our way from Aruba to Grand Cayman next week.

Also interesting to note, from our coordinates at midnight tonight, if you were to travel due east from here you’d be in the Sahara Desert in Africa!

Sun, Jan 14th – Now porting stateside on Sundays

Phew! I’ve been cooped up in this ship for two whole sea days, and now that we’re back in Tampa, I’ve got port manning duty, so for one more day, I’ll be here on the inside. It’s starting to get smaller. Not to mention that we’ll have two and a half sea days before we reach our first destination, Puerto Rico, so I’ll probably be the first person down on the gangway desperate to get out!

But I’m really looking forward to this new cruise! From now on we’ll be returning to Tampa on Sundays, but this cruise in particular is going to be a full two weeks! Here it is:

Monday – Sea day
Tuesday – Sea day
Wednesday – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Thursday – St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Friday – Roseau, Dominica
Saturday – Bridgetown, Barbados
Sunday – St. George’s, Grenada
Monday – Isla de Maragarita (El Guamache), Venezuela
Tuesday – Kralendijk, Bonaire
Wednesday – Oranjestad, Aruba
Thursday – Sea Day
Friday – Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Saturday – Sea Day
Sunday – Tampa, Florida

So while it’s somewhat painful to spend almost six straight days at sea, that will be alleviated by eight countries I’ve never been to before in a row! And of course, I like Grand Cayman, as I’ve been there five or six times now, and I’m quite familiar with all my favorite haunts there. The changed format and the weird times we’ll arrive and leave the ports is going to keep me on my toes, set-wise. Plus, we’re due to get both a new guitarist and a new percussionist today, so maybe some extra rehearsals are is store – woohoo!!!!

Fri, Jan 12 – No Costa Maya – boo!

Usually by the time I wake up at 8 am, the ship is still and quiet, having been docked for at least an hour or so. Such was not the case this morning.

I went up to breakfast at 8:15 and noticed only water on every side of the ship, which seemed to be moving along at a fair clip. “Strange,” I thought, “Maybe we’re running a little late today.” After all, the waves were showing a bit more whitecaps than usual.

But at 9 am, as I was finishing breakfast with still no land in sight, I knew something was up. About the same time, the captain made an official announcement. When we had arrived to Costa Maya about 6:30 this morning, the waves were far too choppy to permit us to dock safely at the pier. The forces of the surface water were such that our large ship could have knocked out the pier, or the pier could have caused significant damage to the ship. So from our vantage just outside of Costa Maya, he had made the decision to turn around and go ahead to start heading home to Tampa. Too bad, because this was going to be the only COOL port we were looking forward to all week.

As the day went on, this really turned out to have been the right decision. Because of the rough seas, we had to slow down to a crawl just to keep some semblance of stability. Carnival CL’s Miracle had done the same thing, skipped Costa Maya on their way back to Tampa, so we had a bit of fun watching them alongside us for two days.

Thur, Jan 11 - Roatan, Honduras

It always boggles my mind to discover that God’s most beautiful landscapes - like those found in the lush island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras – are often the poorest and most impoverished civilizations on earth.

There in the distance are the mountains of the mainland coast of Honduras, Central America. The Veendam has never stopped here before, it being a fairly new cruise port. And indeed, the Costa Meditteranea is the only other ship with us in port.

Still, when my tender pulls up to the dock, it’s clear to see why this place is so rarely visited. There’s not much here more than impoverished beggars trying to sell whatever they can to thrill-seeking tourists just to get by. I am no more than 10 feet up the pier when a group of locals in their best semblance of uniformed costumes performs a cultural dance with the equivalent of a jugband of musicians, and a bowl on the ground before them labeled “tips.” As I continue down the pier to the port, there is a similar setup for a three-man marimba, and a large billboard with handwritten paint listing “cheap” excursions dressed up with fancy names.

Finally reaching the town, there is nothing more than a rambling street lined with shack after shack, each family scattered around tables in their front yards which are covered in handcrafted jewelry made of seashells, fish scales, semi-precious mineral rocks, and fishing line; wooden plates crudely hand-painted with depictions of Honduras’ symbols; postcards, clothing, and anything else that might open a tourist’s wallet. Even the children are so bold as to walk right up to you, hold out their grubby hands and say in English, “Give me a dollar.”

Bicyclists with buggy carts offer to take you anywhere on the island for just a dollar. An old thinly-bearded man with his few remaining teeth yellowed and hanging crooked from his gums sings slurring lyrics while strumming his tattered guitar and once in a while he holds out his hand to the passing crowd, since there is no guitar case to lay open, nor a place to set it beside him on the busy sidewalk.

Finally, I stopped into a convenience store that had a Coke sign on its door. Inside, the floor is well-trampled dirt, the plywood shelves are strewn with dusty stockpiles of everything from laundry detergent to baby formula, and the entire place reeks of the mangy hounds that probably “safeguard” the place at night. One lonely Coca-cola cooler stands in a corner, from which I pull two Coke Lights (the C.A. version of Coke Zero). I pay with a five dollar bill and receive 66 Limpiras in return. The cokes cost me about $1.50 US. The exchange rate is £18.8 to $1 US. When I asked the clerk about the people whose faces are depicted on the bills, he can only tell me that each one was a “national hero” of some kind. (I am ashamed to say that most Americans can’t do much better with our own bills.) But he is impressed with my language fluency.

An hour and a half later, thoroughly unimpressed but nonetheless moved, I returned to the ship. Here, where the passengers have paid upwards of $1500 just for the privilege of cruising, many of whom are on their sixth or seventh cruise, who aren’t afraid to throw out $2 for a can of soda or $7 for a cocktail, I wonder how many of them saw what I saw today, in the same way I saw it, and how many took one look out their porthole-windows and just didn’t bother to get out. When the crew gathers around at dinnertime, and everyone asks, “So, did you go out today?” the all-around response is chorused, “Yeah,” with a bit of reflective pity. Some of us are grateful to be Americans. But we know that many of this crew just got a glimpse of home today.

P.S. Grand Turk post is now complete!

Sorry for the wait! Scroll down this page a few days to see all the fun details about Grand Turk from last week!

Wed, Jan 10th – Nothing to report

Folks… what can I say. This is my THIRD day off this week. Out of five.

It’s hard for me to find things to write about when nothing’s happening. But I can tell you about a few exciting things that DIDN’T happen this week….

1) My friends Denis, on the Carnival Valor, and Garth, on the Carnival Legend were both due to be in port with me on the Veendam in Belize yesterday. We were all going to meet up and have lunch at the Smoky Mermaid in Belize City. But the Legend had a medical emergency last week, which threw off their itinerary by a day, and they are in Belize today instead. And Denis didn’t get my email detailing where to meet me in time, so we missed each other too. Que sera sera – I had a great lunch of seafood ceviche and a banana chimichanga which was absolutely delectable.

2) Today’s port of Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala is on the edge of a dense rainforest. And wouldn’t you know it – it rained all day long. So one hour before our only scheduled set of the day at sailaway, Dani and the HALcats were cancelled. Again, que sera…. I called up my friend Vasile, our keyboard player, and we played a 2-hour session of UNO, at which I won the first fourteen hands, but in the end, he beat me by a whopping 22 points.

3) Our percussionist, John Patti, whose contract was originally slated to terminate this upcoming Sunday (as was mine), had decided to take a two-week extension that was offered to him, to better fit his schedule of land-based gigs. However, due to a paperwork mis-shuffle, John Patti’s extension did not get through in time, and on Sunday when his replacement arrives, John will be given a plane ticket to head back to Baltimore. This will surprise and delight his girlfriend and his family, but the rest of us HALcats are sad to seem him go sooner than expected. Not to mention that John was REALLY looking forward to our upcoming eight-ports-in-a-row, two-week cruise.

Such is my life. This is it, folks – the “glamorous” life of a cruise ship showgirl… ahem “band singer.”

Sat, Jan 6th – Eight days, five ports!

And not a moment too soon – a change in the itinerary!

Sunday – Key West, FL
Monday – Sea day
Tuesday – Belize City, Belize
Wednesday – Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala
Thursday – Roatan, Honduras
Friday – Costa Maya, Mexico
Saturday – Sea day
Sunday – Tampa, FL

Today was our last Saturday in Tampa – from now on we’ll be in Tampa on Sundays. That makes it hard to take care of business like banks and post offices. But luckily, we’ll be in Key West on a few Mondays, and there you can get to the post office on foot (in Tampa you’ve got to take a $20 cab to the airport).

I’m looking forward to Honduras, a new country on my list of places I’ve visited. Also new this week, we’ve got a new bass player, Michael. So it’s back to rehearsals for us…

The new year is starting off with a bang and a shuffle! Woohoo!

Thur, Jan 4th – Fascination reunion!

Today the Veendam was in the port of Georgetown, Grand Cayman with five other ships – two of which were Carnival’s Victory and Conquest! A few of my friends from the Fascination are now on these ships: Victory holds Abi, the dancer from Australia; Jordan, the pianist from North Carolina; Mariano, the sound tech from Argentina; and Conquest carries Bekah, the social host from Texas.

Abi and Jordan met me at the Olde English Bakery to do a little catching up and chatting. Then Jordan and I headed on down the beach, while Abi had to make a quick return to her ship for afternoon rehearsals.

Jordan and I had so much to talk about… how we like our current jobs, where we think we’re headed next… then we headed to Senor Frog’s for lunch.



It was great to see them, and we’re already making plans for when we meet again in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in February!

Tues, Jan 2 – Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

I had never heard of these islands before coming on this ship. But as it turns out, it should be in the history books for a few reasons: Christopher Columbus and John Glenn.

The country of Turks & Caicos is a chain of small islands just south of the Bahamas, 600 miles southeast of Florida. Grand Turk, the island we ported at today is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to yet in the Caribbean. Only about 10 square miles, and inhabited by only 3500 locals, mostly rastafaron, it is completely laid-back and rarely visited, so that all of it’s beaches are still very clean and beautiful, very natural and untouched. The cruise pier itself is the newest in the Caribbean (built in February 06), and they have only a few of the major chain stores, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville with the largest pool in the Caribbean.

I went into downtown and walked around a bit, getting some history stuff in. The cab dropped me off at a gas station, and the first thing I noticed was the price of gas. Ok, America, check it out: $4.80 US for a gallon of gas! This is why other countries look at us as spoiled!

Grand Turk is commemorated as being the site where Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the “New World” on 12 October 1492. The western beach of the island is named for him, and everywhere there are plaques and memorials laying claim to being the very spot where he first set foot. Apparently he called this island La Isla de San Salvador, and the natives whom he called Indios, gladly shared their food and drink with him for 2 days. On 14 October, he continued with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria towards the Caicos Islands, which he named La Isla de Santa Maria de la Concepcion.

I came across this cathedral which was originally known as the “chapel of ease.” St. Mary’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral Church was the second church established in Grand Turk, because the main church was across the island from downtown, and too far to get to for evening services. Ecclesiastically, this church is the designated pro-cathedral for a diocese which includes churches in T&C and the Bahamas.

Not a Catholic, but deeply missing my own church, I decide to venture inside. The reprieve from the afternoon sun encouraged me to sit a while and just drink in the organ hymns floating through the fan-blown breezes. But then I started to look around, and I was mystified by these stained-glass portraits above each of the long windows. Going around the church from right to back to left, to above the altar, were scenes depicting the various stages of Christ’s life. They were so amazingly beautiful to look at, and these pictures just don’t do them justice.


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The more recent event that makes this island memorable is displayed at a major intersection as you enter and exit downtown. There is a black space capsule there, marked USA with a checkered line running down the side. When John Glenn returned from his historic flight in 1960, this little space capsule landed off the waters of Grand Turk, and the aircraft carrier that picked him up out of the water brought him here first.

But downtown itself was very laid-back. No bright lights, or noisy music playing. Throughout the whole island, people just kick back in their hammocks and let the days roll by, occasionally trying to sell something off their display tables to the tourists who are passing through. They say they have 350 sunshine days every year! Wow! This truly is paradise…

Sun, Dec 31st – Happy New Year!!!!

Well, I had my doubts if we would pull it off. With just over 24 hours to go, the boys scrambled to pick apart 10 new songs and get them ready for our New Years’ Black-and-White Ball (all on their own - no help from charts from the company). Four rehearsals and a day later, the ball went …maybe not EXACTLY as planned, but very well nonetheless. Turned out that we had way too much material prepared, and not quite well enough to be perfect. Still, the audience had a great time and was none-the-wiser.




The Rubens Lounge stage was transformed to expand the dance floor to a second level







My view of the packed dance floor from backstage










If you’re going to spend your holiday working, do it in STYLE!

Sat, Dec 30th – New Year, new itinerary!

We’ve been sailing basically the same two itineraries over and over for the past nine weeks since I came onboard, so a change of pace is long overdue! This week we’re gonna get it!

Sunday – sea day
Monday – Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Tuesday – Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
Wednesday – Sea Day
Thursday – Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Friday – Sea Day
Saturday – Tampa, Florida

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Holland America Lines. From what I understand there’s not much to do there other than lay out on the beach, eat at the buffet, or browse the gift shops, all of which contain all the same amenities we already have on the ship. So I’m not too sore about having port manning that day.

I’m about to do some research on the country of Turks & Caicos, a small island chain just 30 miles south of the Bahamas. It’s one more new country to add to my list of places I’ve visited!

And while I’ve been to Georgetown several times by now, this Thursday is going to be the best visit yet, as Carnival Conquest and Carnival Victory are also going to be there, and that means I’ll get to see many of my Fascination friends! We are planning to meet at the Olde English Bakery and maybe even make a trip out to the beach if we have time.

So while the past few weeks’ blogs have been a bit dull as the ports have gotten familiar, do not fret! Big changes are coming (including South America!) so keep an eye on the blog for all the exciting updates to come!

Thur, Dec 28th – The view from my “office”

I love doing these pictures! These are the moments that make me so grateful to work where I do, and that remind me how hard I have to work to make sure I never get stuck in a 4x4 cubicle with calendar-sized photos of faraway beaches.

When I worked at Sight & Sound, the view was overlooking an audience of over 2000 seats, and man… I felt I was living large. But here is my new workspace…



Yup! This is the view I have while I’m working! Watching a beautiful sunset as we sail away from yet another exotic locale in the Caribbean, and singing my heart out to a crowd of screaming fans (or snoring seniors, as the case may be). Spend a few hours on the beach, come home, sing three or four songs out on the deck, and then call it a day. Can you believe I get paid to do this??? The Lord has truly blessed me!

Wed, Dec 27th – Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala

Today was my fourth time that the Veendam has been to Guatemala, but this is the first time I’ve gotten off the ship there. Unfortunately, if you don’t go out on a tour there’s not much else to do. So I wandered into the little hangar they have set up there in the port. Inside, many many native merchants try to sell you tourist items, mostly things that their families have made by hand, crafted to represent the culture of their country.

There was also a family playing a really long marimba! It was incredible – these seven men all lined up side-by-side playing this gigantic xylophone, which must have been a full eight octaves long. Together with a stand-up bass and drums, they were playing lots of standards, classics, and Sinatra tunes, like “I Love Paris,” “Begin the Beguine,” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” It was a treat to hear it done that way - the sound echoed throughout the entire hangar.

Mon, Dec 25th – Finally Christmas!

I have to admit, even though the Christmas trees and fake snow went up all around the ship the day after Thanksgiving, and the background Christmas tunes have been playing in the dining rooms and lounges, it hasn’t really FELT like Christmas up until the start of this cruise, three days ago. Don’t know why.

This Christmas-on-the-sea has turned out to be a lot different than last year. Last year I spent a lot of time alone in my cabin, watching my Sight & Sound Christmas Spectacular DVD and pining for home, family, and friends. This year, my “onboard family” has been a great source of fun and festivity. And thank goodness, work has kept me busy, kept me occupied and happy.

Of course, I still watched the DVD about three times! (I still crack up at Dan and Duane’s genius antics, and it’s just awesome to see Maria singing that beautiful “Rejoice!!!!” before the drum circle.) But hanging out with my boys has been really special. We’ve all embraced our ‘extended family’ to make the holidays special.







John Patti dressed up his steel drum at the sailaway from Tampa with some lighted garland and a big red bow.










We all wore Santa hats at the Lido deck set on Christmas day. Those things get really hot in the 85 degree weather!



And a very special Christmas dinner was served to the entire crew at 6:30 on Christmas Day. But unfortunately, a few of us had to work – yup, me and the boys had to play at the Captain’s Champagne reception. But it worked to our advantage – we ended up getting to eat in the passenger’s dining room for Christmas! It’s a treat to eat in the formal dining room anyway, but on such a special occasion it just ROCKS!

Together we made it feel like a real family Christmas dinner. Of course, we all dearly miss our own real families, but if we can’t be home for Christmas, there’s no one else on this ship I’d rather be with than these 7 guys.