Carnival Cruise Week ~ Bermuda

What a crazy and amazing week it's been Oct. 1-8, 2016.  Note: I completely failed at taking pictures due to crazy business so pictures are fuzzy and copied from Google except for the towel animals :-p

In true cruise ship fashion, my cello/violin duo, Sound Harbor, got a contract offer for one week with only a week before embarking the ship. Long nights of overseas communication resulted in one week on the Carnival Sunshine. Flights were received the day before and on the way back Earle received his flight the day we left the ship while we were on the way to the airport thank to the help of our on board friends! Nothing like last minute....

Ship was complete with outdoor stadium theater lounge seating, three water slides, a ropes course, a mini golf course, basketball court, and more. 

Pre contract excited/exhausted selfie. I had just flown from Kiev and Earle didn't sleep the night before....not that you could tell lol!!

I flew from Kiev to Vienna to JFK and spent the night in a nice Raddisson hotel room. The next morning I joined the bus to the port an hour away and waited several hours for Earle's flight to arrive and for him to get to the port. I'm glad I did because there was no crew when he arrived other than me waiting for him and this was Earle's very first time on a ship ever!!  We went through the security and got on the ship. Last time I did this I didn't have a room until night time. This cruise it was better by a few hours lol. A lot better!!  I was given a nice guest passenger cabin for the entire week....even though I didn't actually get my room until early evening (last time it was almost midnight). Boy was that cabin nice :)  What a treat from the usual bunk bed shoe box I was expecting. Earle was also given his own passenger cabin although on a lower deck so not as nice. The stewards were fantastic and gave me towel animals and turn down service every day! My favorite towel "animal" was the very last night when they had made a heart for me <3<3<3

With Carnival Sunshine with LOVE

Puppy Cuteness <3

We sailed to Bermuda for two overnights! That was a first for me. I've never overnighted in a port more than one night. I was so excited since I had just been to Bermuda in May and remembered a little of my way around. Turned out I was so busy that the first evening was the only time I left the ship. That, and instead of docking in Hamilton, the ship docked at the furthermost point on the west/north tip of the island. Walked around the area for a couple of hours failing to find free wifi, but seeing the usual Diamond's International and tourist shops/bars. The next day Earle and I ended up practicing all day instead of going into Hamilton. The last day we were supposed to leave Bermuda at 5 pm but with the hurricane picking up velocity, we left at noon so we didn't get off the ship that day either. The ship was plenty big enough to keep us occupied however. Even after a week we didn't see all the music bands and only saw one and a half production shows and hadn't even walked to every deck area. We did walk and walk and walk though up and down the stairs with our instruments and our stands and chairs. Come to find out, Carnival Sunshine doesn't have stage hands so we (mostly Earle) had to haul all our stuff around from each location all day. Several days we played in three different places so we were always moving stuff and at the end of the night it had to be moved to our cabins so no one else would decide to use it.

This is the best picture I could find of the entirety of the Ocean Plaza. Standing from the pub in the corner looking across the Plaza to the Alchemy Bar on the far side. 

Carnival is very different from the other cruise lines I've worked for in the past. We didn't have a lounge and the first day we played in the atrium. I've played in atriums before but this one was a pillar of emptiness with a minuscule stage on the second level. No one could hear us and we couldn't hear ourselves. We did end up getting a microphone but to get the soft parts we played it was turned up so loud the feedback was extremely touchy and any other sound nearby was amplified within a 5 foot radius at least. We also played for tea time in the dining room twice. We enjoyed it the most even though there is no stage there so we just set up in a spot with a little extra space. The other venue we played in was called Ocean Plaza. It was an open venue with an enclosed pub at one corner and the "Alchemy Bar" at the other. The biggest difficulty was listening to the background music from the other bar while we were playing. It was still the best place for us as we could hear each other and people could sit and watch. We played all different times of day and for different hours. We even.....had a day off.... I say this whispering that it won't get taken away...   The second day off I've ever had in over 7 years of on and off cruising.

Fuzzy picture but the small outcropping on the right was our "stage". Our chairs stuck out into the stairway.

The people were great and the ship was very relaxed for the most part. A couple of times something surprising happened. The most outstanding for me was returning from land to the ship when security asked me to remove my nice sandal flats. The floor was disgusting so I didn't want to put my feet back in my shoes. I was and still am quite miffed about this regulation. Otherwise, I learned that my dress casual is Carnival formal wear. I learned we're not supposed to eat in the Lido for breakfast or lunch although I did anyway and no one said anything. I learned nobody pays much attention to your sets. I learned no one cares much about the email verification protocol to eat in the specialty restaurants. Speaking of specialty restaurants....there was a nice Steakhouse, a sushi bar, Asian and Italian restaurants as well as two dining rooms. Earle and I tried each and every one. Our favorite was the Asian restaurant so we went twice. Steakhouse was ok and the rest not worth the bother. We found the crew bar which was at the front of the ship so had bow access but they'd turned the bow into a mini smoking lounge so I was highly disappointed. I walked out and walked back inside as fast as I could. One nice thing is that the bar isn't segregated as on other ships. Any crew member can come drink, play pool and video games or chit chat. That was awesome! I took Earle every night but one and helped intoxicate him every night as every good band leader should :-)

Absolutely delicious pork belly with gorgonzola cheese and some sort of bean curd and sauce. Unbelievable!

Other big favorite was the short rib. Melt in your mouth tastiness :-O

Even though it was only for a week, we made some quick friends that we are sad to leave and hope to see again. We had a good chat with ship management about the possible future of classical music for Carnival. Time will tell what happens. Playing as a duo is fun but exhausting. The repertoire that is available is small and mostly either bad arrangements or difficult concert pieces. Would be great to get back to string quartets or even trios. These ideas are possible over the next couple of years as I continue to work and move forward with a guest entertainer show I hope to make my career in the future.

For now, it's back to Kyiv to see my Ukrainian momma and sister for a week. Lots and lots of practice to do together while we still have the chance! 

Temptation

I started writing this blog nearly three months ago in the beginning of Jan. I've since been so swamped I've not taken a moment for myself. I dedicated half of this day though, to completing pictures and this blog entry. So much has happened and I'd like to blog about it in the next couple of weeks, but first I need to finish what I started....so here goes! :)

~~~The last 11 days have been wonderful beyond compare and miserable beyond imagining. Why? Because I was "home" but I wasn't able to stay.

"Home" is ship life as you probably already know. I love it. I miss it. The constant travel. The constant change. The constant hello and goodbye. The constant feeling of being home and only going to land for vacation. To me, the constant change is my stability.

It was a temptation of love.

To walk across that gangway.
To walk the halls.
Feel the familiarity.
Make the new friends and reacquaint with the old.
Stare at the stars at night and feel how grateful you are to be you and to be alive.
Struggle to stay awake as others struggle to keep down lunch due to the waves; waves that lull you to sleep and others to sickness.

It was in my hand and in my heart for a short 11 days. How badly it hurt to walk down those hallways one last time, hear the familiar beep as my key card was scanned indicating I was disembarking, suitcase in hand, and walk down that gangway with no knowledge I'll ever return. My heart was torn even though I had come knowing it was just a temptation and wouldn't last. Like letting someone smell their favorite food, and get just a taste, but not eat the whole meal.

Still, I truly enjoyed the time I spent this cruise and I'll share the fun with all of you!

The cruise started with a couple of sea days. I love sea days. They're the only time to catch up on all the sleep you've been missing in life and on port days. Of course, what usually happens is I find so much to keep me occupied that I don't get much extra but the thought is there :)

Cliff brought Boggle so he attempted to beat me again. Let's just say I haven't lost my Boggle touch :)

He made up for it though by consistently beating me at ping pong. With less than a game a year these days, my skill level has decreased dramatically. Still, it was lots of fun to get in some good practice.

Cliff also brought the entire series of Harry Potter movies after having heard I hadn't seen them all. So we watched the first two over the course of the cruise. That was a nice way to relax and yet be entertained when there was nothing either of us were interested in on board.

Enjoying drinks at the first sail away.

Leaving port and watching the sunset. Not a bad way to spend part of my day.

We got to go on several excursions and I really enjoyed some of them. For example, I got to ride a Segway for the first time. But instead of dodging people on a boardwalk, we toured through pasture land, beach front, country roads, and dirt paths. It was fabulous!

Posing on my Segway.

While others were taking pictures of the waves, I found a small tree to climb :)

The segway tour was so much fun. If I could have gone faster it would have been even more fun. Next time the race will be on!!

Cliff and I rented a vehicle in St. Maarten to tour the island. It was a brilliant way to sight see. We had just the right amount of time to relax and see the sights and even go parasailing! What a day it was.

Getting ready to start the day.

Fresh juice was a refreshing sustenance for our day. Drinking it beach side didn't hurt the ambiance :)

Saw a plane come in for landing at the famous beach. We were driving so we couldn't stop to watch the whole thing but we were also safe from the jets.

Getting ready to parasail for the first time. I can now say I've been there, done that.

I would venture to say that hiking up the mountain and running back down is more fun than parasailing in front of it. But that's probably just me :)

Sunday everything was closed, but Cliff, a mutual friend and me found an open restaurant for lunch and enjoyed a short walk around town before sail away.

Restaurant was half inside, half outside. It also had lots of character.

The decor behind me (I'm seated at our table) was beautiful and also functional. At one point, the waiter had to excuse himself to reach for something behind me.

The only other thing we found open was the library. It was beautiful, inside and out!

Inside the library.

I think one of my favorite places we went was the island of Nevis. It's usually included in the title with St. Kitts where the ship actually docked. We had to take another boat to get to Nevis. Someday I would like to return and stay at the resort we toured. Nevis isn't large and it's expensive, but it's got a nice hiking mountain, it's got nice beaches, it's got friendly people, and a beautiful resort. It's a perfect getaway location if you ask me.

The favorite of the public rooms that I saw at the resort. So much color and texture and eccentricity. In love!

It was so peaceful and tranquil everywhere. Surrounded by beautiful greenery and idyllic locations.

Here I'm posing in the archway from two of the main public areas. The footpaths lead all around the gardens. You could be happily lost for hours.

The beach was windy that day but the sand was nice and the water was refreshing. 

The hiking mountain. While we were hanging out on the beach, a young girl came down from hiking to take a dip in the water. What an awesome day that could be for me!

St. Lucia was the longest of all the days. I ended up napping a bit (as much as was possible in my situation) trying to make it the whole day.

This was the feeling of the bus ride all day. Napping was not that successful.

This was our first get out and walk around stop on the tour, a wood working art studio. It was incredible all the sculptures this guys could carve.

This was my favorite of them all. The howling or calling elephant. It's so beautiful.

Next we went to a gorgeous look out point. It was windy, but the water was so blue it was breathtaking.

Then we went up to the highest point on the island. It was incredible. The view as much as all the bus drivers skills of getting into and out of such as small space.

I'm glad the bus drivers were good because there wasn't much room for error. 

There was a quick stop at a merchants area right on the beach. The flowers and trees were so pretty, I took pictures instead of shopping.

Next we stopped at a working plantation. The lady in green was out tour guide around the property. I set out on my own for most of it taking pictures and exploring at will :)

There were many stepping stones but I thought this one was inspiring so I captured it in monochrome for its artistic beauty.

There were several small ponds, most with lily pads, but this one with the small dock was my favorite.

An old water wheel on the property. I love the tree in this photo.

Next we traveled to a cocoa plantation. This was my favorite part where there were so many natural herbs.

The local lunch at the cocoa plantation. There was no chocolate for dessert :(

The cocoa bean. You can suck on the outside flesh that's sweet and spit out the raw cocoa seed  that is very bitter.

Our last stop was a sulphur springs inside a split mountain.

While we waited for the tender to pick us up we saw this beautiful sailing vessel.

Watching the ship come in lol

We got to watch a beautiful sunset while we waited for the tender (on the right) with the sailing vessel in sight on the left.

The craziest thing I did on the cruise was my Sea Trek walk. It was the excursion in St. Thomas. It's another thing I can say I've been there and done that.

Sea Trek selfie

Fish and the ladder to the underwater walking path.

The fish were colorful and fun to see.

Barely caught this one in the frame. Those little things are quick!

Handling some of the wildlife.

Trying not to squeeze the sea sponge too hard and still not drop it lol!

Posing underwater.

It was truly an adventure. One I'm glad I embarked upon and one I'll never forget. Wish I'd taken the time to put it together for you sooner. But to explain my long posting absence and tell you what has been happening since the cruise (which occurred over New Years Day), I've mostly spent my time glued in front of the computer.

Since the last contract I had that ended in September, I've been continually searching for musicians. It only took me a month to find musicians outside the USA, interested in or that had already worked on cruise ships. I pulled together all the information necessary and sent out countless emails to agents and companies with our group info (of which 3/4 had already worked on ships). There were very few replies and the few we received simply asked for a video of us together. (I had sent videos of each of us and most of the videos were actually on ships in the ensembles requested). After six months of scouring for more agents, more ship company emails, going through LinkedIn searches, Facebook searches, Google searches, translating foreign language websites from companies and agents and advertisements, I finally found three other people in the USA to do a video recording.

In the mean time, I've slid by on my old college habits of picking up orchestra gigs throughout Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana and sleeping on couches to make ends meet. This is not a career and I'm tired of the college routine I did while also writing a thesis and preparing for a master's recital. The hours and days and weeks I've devoted to searching on the computer, printing the music, filing the music, cataloging the music, practicing the music, and in general, never moving, have taken its toll. I'm back at the heaviest weight I've ever been (despite clean and healthy eating habits), injured to the point of nothing extraneous beyond walking, unable to wear any of the three sizes of clothes in my closet that aren't made of spandex and lycra, and instantly depressed if I look in a mirror. Recently I've taken more steps to try to counteract the downfall but I don't see the results which is frustrating.

The two things giving me hope at the moment is that I finally found three people in the USA to record and this week we are putting it together....and....if that doesn't work, I have a free ticket to Europe to start over. Check back (sooner than later lol) to see which path I follow of the two or if I follow a different one altogether!