Transatlantic Odyssey on the Allure - TravelBlog: Week 2

Week 2: Nov. 1 – 7, 2010

TravelBlog: Day 8 (Mon.)

Slept like the dead for the first time since leaving NYC. And we gained an hour … but still not caught up by a long shot. Daniel spent the night in the bathroom, emptying from both ends. Similar to what I suffered on the Oasis, divided by 12 (little slice of hell, though this trip I have the opposite problem). Must be something in the start-up kitchens, or with the swill they feed the crew/staff we’ve been served, which differs enormously from the passengers’ fare. It may better than some of them eat in their native land, but by western standards it’s nasty drek which tastes bad and smells worse … So far no other casualties, except Michel has this strange and itchy rash that appears to be spreading. Bedbugs from one of the flights??? In our staterooms??? Oy vay -

Sailing “the Manche”, aka the English Channel. We passed the white cliffs of Dover during the night … So far surprising calm seas and clear skies, not too cold at all. However, we’ll be jockeying to avoid a storm brewing in the North Atlantic … running around, scheduling 2 separate photo crews with different needs on the maiden voyage of a yet-to-be-completed ship, with crew and staff unavailable due to constant training meetings and safety drills, pulling me in 12 directions simultaneously. Some things go so smoothly, some not so much –

Michel saw the MD; apparently some sort of mite has taken up residence under his skin, forming ugly and itchy lesions spreading around his body. He’s been quarantined for 2 days until the MD gives his okay, and has to wash with a special delousing shampoo to kill the cooties. Yikes.

The boys devoured the peanut M&M’s I bought for Halloween. My dark chocolate stash is dwindling day by day. I shiver to think what will happen when I run out entirely. What, with no coffee and all, it could get ugly -

TravelBlog: Day 9 (Tues.)

Seas are picking up; feeling a bit peevish due to lack of sleep (was up all night, don’t know why) and a touch of mal de mer. Headache but no vomiting. We lost Michel for today, and I’m exhausted –

After some confusion in the morning, things went more smoothly. I even managed to placate a recalcitrant maitre d’ (Italian, of course) and get what I wanted –

I feel like going out as we gain another hour tonight, but I should probably try to catch some of the sleep I lost (about 3 nights worth) –

Praise the lord, hallelujah, the food’s improving. They’ve been stress testing first the main restaurant and another café for both preparation and service, and we are more than happy to assist. Call me guinea pig if you’re serving rack of lamb, surf and turf, Dover sole -

Heading out into the unpredictable, unruly November North Atlantic, wondering if my future husband is somewhere on this ship ...

TravelBlog: Day 10 (Wed.)

Crossing north of the Azores, trying to avoid the storms. The midpoint of our journey. Gorgeous weather, warm and sunny, perfect for shooting balconies … Had a little moment with Daniel; told him to please stop talking to me as if I was an idiot. (He’s nice enough, but can be surly and condescending, with a very unpleasant way of giving orders, which, incidentally, is not his job.) Michel has been given a clean bill of health, and is ecstatic to leave his cabin after 2 days of quarantine. He’s moved, and his old cabin has been thoroughly fumigated. Fortunately no one else on board has been afflicted … Went out after dinner and met Pauline from the Spa; I needed a little girl talk. A tour of the Casino before passing out … left while Julien was winning –

(Don’t know how I’m managing these early mornings without decent coffee. Anyone who knows me understands the importance of a good cup of coffee, especially in the am hours. So far - hopefully because there are no passengers on board and staff/crew/contractors don’t rate the good stuff - the coffee served in the restaurants and cafes has been an embarrassing joke, coffee in name only. Several in our team have experienced myriad, shall we say, “disruptions” as a result. How I miss my morning vanilla hazelnut soy milk cappuccino!

TravelBlog: Day 11 (Thurs.)

Talk about cabin fever: We had a day of shooting cabins, a total of 6. Yawn, so boring … It’s official: the Frenchies are starting to wear on my nerves. My French is very rusty, they speak very quickly, and we’re not communicating well; this has led to a few misunderstandings creating extra work and time loss. I’m allowing myself to express my concerns and frustrations, in as professional a manner as I can muster … A touch of seasickness hasn’t helped. The captain’s storm strategy differs from the Oasis’s: rather than park in the middle of the sea at the storm’s edge waiting for it to pass, Capt. Zinni (a handsome young Argentine) tries to outrun them. As a result, we cut in front of the latest storm and are ahead of schedule; now we just have to see what Hurricane Thomas, currently lashing through the Caribbean (poor Haiti!), does next …

Have no idea what’s happening in the world. What happened with the election??? Interestingly, we had Al Jazeera and BBC on cable for a while, but no news stations at the moment. Heard that European heads of state have received bomb threats originating from Al Queda cells in Greece??? What the f*ck???

Ate at Izumi last night, the ship’s Japanese restaurant, the first night it opened. Wonderful! Chef Travis prepared some special plates for us –

TravelBlog: Day 12 (Fri.)

In the middle of the Atlantic. My 4th crossing, 3rd of this particular ocean. Water, water everywhere. (Except on this enormous ship, with several enclosed or encased decks, one can very easily lose all sense of being at sea.) But on the upper decks, it's all sea and sky. Nothing but - not a bird, not a boat. Just you and the vastness of it all ... A humbling, stirring paradox, this feeling of vulnerability, smallness. This awe of and connection to infinity, eternity ... Seas smooth as silk, sunshine punctuated by rainclouds in the distance. All morning and afternoon, single and double rainbows arched across the ski, some with an extraordinary stroke of deep purple … impossible not to fall in love with the earth and appreciate her magic. Now if we can just avoid smacking into Hurricane Thomas –

Just heard something so creepy from the English light tech guys: before issuing your SeaPass (electronic room key/ID card/credit card), security takes a photo it uses for facial identification. Hundreds of cameras all over the ship keep a constant watch in every nook and cranny, save staterooms/suites. Amazing technology (in use in London, I believe) allows the security staff (interestingly, mostly Indian and Philippino) to ID and track anyone on board; it can check when you entered or exited your cabin, find you in any venue. Big Brother is definitely watching, everywhere, everyone, all the time … you feel safe, and violated, all at once -

TravelBlog: Day 13 (Sat.)

Door to my balcony open with mid-Atlantic sunlight streaming in … calms winds and hot sun feels downright tropical, though we’re still well north and east of Bermuda. (Last year on the Oasis, we went north to go west, traveling across the North Atlantic to Newfoundland/Nova Scotia before heading south, freezing until we reached Ft. Lauderdale. I have too many sweaters and not enough summer clothing.) Thomas has made a right turn rather than continuing on its original course up the east coast, so we’ll pass over rather than through it. The worse winds and rain (if any) will come in the middle of the night, and the middle of the biggest party of the crossing. I’ll probably sleep right through both –

Getting tired. Scheduling your entire day chasing the sun gets exhausting.

To give you an idea of the size of the ship, I’d say I clock about 5 miles a day scouting, ferrying props, and running between photogs/locations during shoots. And getting lost: Wrong turns and wrong decks add about another mile of walking and stair climbing. Somehow I’ve managed to fit in 1 to 1.5 hrs. of gym time into my day, every day. The food’s improving day by day, and more restaurants are opening for stress tests. Hopefully this sated, stuffed guinea pig won’t gain weight …

I’d wish we had more news of the outside world besides the captain’s noon announcements, which includes nothing but our course and the ship’s itinerary. We’re out of range for cable signals, and the on board wi-fi is very sketchy, not to mention costly (RCCL has not given us free Internet), so I use my precious on-line time sending work e-mails and answering personal e-mails, not downloading news. The world could be ending and the crew/staff would still be making beds, taking photos, serving meals –

TravelBlog: Day 14 (Sun.)

Early start this morning despite a late-ish night last night: we went to the rave party and had a few free beers. Might have been more fun if I didn’t have to get up at 6 or was 30 years younger …

Had a shocking revelation: Even in an enclosed environment with a ratio of 5 men for every woman, I still don’t seem to find the man for me. Maybe he doesn’t exist.

While the on-board social dynamics remind me very much of Club Med, the sexual dynamics do not. We’re on a sailing vessel, so a very rigid, military-like hierarchy of command and rank exists. Though there is some intermingling between departments/services, segregation - determined by service, nationality, language, not to mention status - abounds. You tend to see “pods” - the Caribeean housekeeping staff, the spa girls, the sports team, the youth staff, the officers, etc. –keeping company mainly amongst themselves.

On the other hand, it’s amazing to see so many nationalities – 60 countries are represented on board - making a concerted effort to communicate and live and work together. Most take great pride in their job, whatever it is, no matter how menial it may appear to you and I. They fully buy into the RCCL mission, whether it’s “delivering the ‘wow’” (past) or “polishing the gold” (present) –

Couples tend to form within services, with predictable overlap: the officers often date the dancers or skaters. Relationships amongst staff and crew don’t appear to be discouraged, while, unlike Club Med, I get the impression relationships with “guests” are. Staff/crew is not permitted in passenger cabins, unless it belongs to a family member and management has been advised. Club Med everyone was expected to shag everyone, with management’s winking approval.

An incredibly beautiful day. We scooted past Thomas and have avoided another storm, so from here on in we’ll have sun and smooth sailing. Sleeping with the balcony door open to let in the balmy breezes of the mid-Atlantic ...