Transfer?

We're back in San Diego and I've got a spiffy new haircut that supposedly fashionable (I think I look like a dog that just saw a cat) but all of the women in the spa are hot and bothered about it. As they are a fair representation of womankind I'll take this as a good thing. New glasses have finished off the new look and I look a few year younger.

This contract on this ship has been less than impressive from a financial perspective. There is a possibility they will transfer me to different and more lucrative ship. You see, Carnival is considered the "budget" cruise line, which translates to less money spent on additional services (i.e. the Spa where I work).

All of the other cruise lines are higher end and are likewise more lucrative for someone like myself. Also Carnival is a bit of an experiment for the acupuncture department within the spa company. I'm one of two acupuncturist on Carnival. Being on an older, less prestigious ship means everyone has been there, done that.

More as things develop.

Christmas at sea... we are not amused.

Well its Christmas and all that comes with it. The spa had a little party last night gift were exchanged and I suppose it was nice. I'm just the type that doesn't hang with people from work. Its even in my astrological chart! Nevertheless, probably what was affecting me most was the fact this was my first Christmas without living parents and that was just weird. I cannot say that I spent every Christmas with them by any means, but the fact it really isn't an option anymore is a bit hard to fathom.

Anyway, we're out here in Pacific Ocean and I'm bored and a bit lonely. I've not met anyone on the girlfriend front, at the same time I haven't made the time to do so. You know, one of the problems with relocating somewhere new is that you have a tendency to bring yourself with you...

Okay, I'm going to officially issue a Bah-humbug, etc. I hope everyone is having an enjoyable Xmas.

And We Float Home...

Egads, 10 days since my last post. Don't worry, I've been writing posts in Notepad, and will upload and back date accordingly.

Its been very busy this past cruise, I've seen a decent number of patients. I'm finally getting the advertising and marketing handled. There's still plenty to do, but I feel like I've at least rounded the corner of success. Its all fine tuning from here on out.

As to the title of this post... Well, let me provide some background about this cruise to put everything into context. Every 5 days the ship departs San Diego with Cabo San Lucas as our first destination. Departing around 5 pm, we hit the open seas and make out way down. We spend a day at sea as we make the 300 some-odd-miles to Cabo. After a lovely and warm day in Cabo we again leave at 5 pm and make our way back up north to our second destination, Ensenada, which is only about 100 miles south of San Diego. We have another day at sea between destination. The sea days are really all about having passengers spend money within the ship on important services such as acupuncture, etc.

The thing is, it doesn't take a whole day between ports. So what does the ship do with all that time? Well, at night they turn off the engines, save one and simply float home. They simply keep it pointed in the right direction and let the currents do the rest.

Before the current fuel price increases, they used to go in circles out on the pacific to kill time. Now they simply kill the engines, and goof off.

Waves Worthy of Mention

Well, as many you can tell from my previous posts, there are some stormy seas out here on the Pacific. Yesterday was no exception, with some of the most intense waves to date. However, upon talking to several of the crew who have worked on many ships, these were practically nothing in comparison. Here are some stories:

The Men's Locker Room steward recalled the time he was on the Carnival Triumph in the Caribbean at the height of Hurricane season. Apparently they were so deep inside the hurricane that he could see the black spiral clouds above. The ship itself listed to the side about 15 degrees, enough so that the swimming pool emptied out on the deck. He said that everyone carried their life jacket with them where ever they went on that cruise, convinced that they were going to sink.

One of the waiters recalls the time that the waves were so bad that none of the guest came down for dinner. The infirmary dispensed all of their motion sickness medication in one day. This too occurred in the Caribbean.

I guess I have it lucky in comparison.

Family Reunion (of sorts)

Today we docked in San Diego after a 5 day run to Baja. I met up with my Aunt and Grandfather who is visiting before his return to the Philippines. Since time was a bit short we all went to a sea food restaurant. I went with the squid sandwich. Interesting seems the best word for that experience.

It was great to see my grandfather, who is now in his 80s. He came back to the U.S. for hip replacement surgery. He's moving around so much better.

Here's a picture of the event:














Grandpa and Aunt Jill

Storm at Sea

Its about 4 am and we are having a proper storm at sea. The ship is being tossed about like a rag doll. Keep in mind, the cruise ships of this class are 84,000 metric tons. They are not small ships. Thankfully I do not get sea sick, I attribute this to my flexible Piscean nature. I woke up a few minutes ago as my books fell over on my shelf. Curiosity being predominate in my personal makeup, I got dressed and wander out on to the crew deck (Deck 3 by the way), and found the night shift housekeeping staff having their work cut out for them with seasick guests requesting cabin cleanups. At these times, its amazing how the tips the housekeeping staff have received to date affects their response time.

Going outside on deck 7, I could the see the massive waves crashing against the ship. Now, these are not the waves from movies that crash onto the deck as desperate sailors in rain gear try secure some object or another. I could not imagine how that must feel. We are only shifting about 5 to 7 degrees at a time, but it certainly feels like a roller coaster ride.

I've got the morning off so I'm going to watch the sunrise and see just what these waves look like. Perhaps some pictures later.

Of Boredom and Flying Fish

Today has found me with nothing to do as the guests refuse to move from the Lido (open air) deck, instead choosing to lay about the pool sleeping on deck chairs. The international crew shake their collective heads in dismay at the "Lazy Americans" who sleep their vacations away. What they don't realize is how much Americans in general burn themselves out with the hectic American lifestyle. There are certainly volumes to be said about this, but not at this time.

I find myself on the upper deck watching the flying fish of the Southern Pacific ocean. They seem to be attracted to the ship, and can be seen flying away from it for at least 50 feet. Its an amazing feat of evolution to have a fish that can fly out of the water for such a distance. I cannot think of a more unlikely combination of traits that evolution has brought forth, with the exception of Merv Griffin (of course).

Another Cruise Underway

We're on our way to Mexico yet again. I'm at the point where the cruise itinerary cycle has become normal. Strange, to think that constant movement is the new normal. Right now we are having some rough seas. I can hear the waves crashing against the bulkhead wall, the sounds of Cadillacs colliding. I've gotten to the point where I sleep through just about everything.

A few other things that I have gotten used to:

• Poor internet connection (though I doubt I'll ever get used to that).
• Many different languages spoken at once - in the spa alone, I hear Talag, Afrikaan, Dutch, Serbian, and Zulu spoken. I'm definiately the odd man out speaking only one language.
• Limited space isn't as bad as I thought it would be, I've found a few places to hide, which makes me happy.
• Being surrounded by beautiful women - now this is an adjustment that I'm glad to make.
• Making new friends of sorts. I'm not one to hang out with friends from work, but considering the nature of ship life, I find myself doing just that. Everyone in spa is quite nice, so it makes the whole process easy.

Aside from some adjustments that need to be made by either myself or to my surroundings, everything has gone quite smoothly. Its my hope to tell stories about ship life and the backgrounds of my co-workers which are all fascinating. I will wait for their permission before doing so, however.

Tech Support

Well, it only took three weeks but it has gotten out that I'm handy with computers. So last night my cabin was full of the beautiful women of the spa, seeking help with their myriad of laptop concerns.

Oh, by laptop, I DO mean computers!!! I am being good!

Rough Seas

Last night (Thursday) we had some pretty choppy ocean to move through. In a ship of this size it really meant that the ship rise and fall with each swell. Its hard to judge the size of the waves since the decks are so far up from the water. It was by no means uncomfortable for me, I actually enjoyed it. I'm sure some of the guests were not at all amused. I've been treating a lot of Sea sickness lately. So with every rise and swell, I could hear little cash register "dings" in the back of my head. Terrible I know, but I am the best source of relief on this ship besides going ashore.

A Day in Cabos San Lucus

Wednesday was our day off in port, thankfully in Cabos. I ended up going out with several of the women I work with in the Spa: Amanda, Cristina, Aisha, Henisha, and Kelly. Since they knew their way around it seemed like a rather good idea. We departed the ship by tender boat - these are little boats that ferry passengers from the ship to the dock as its too shallow for the ship to dock properly. After landing at the dock, we boarded a glass bottom water taxi. All of the boat drivers subcribe to the "bat out of theory" of boat piloting. Having hung on for dear life, we landed on the beaches of Cobos.

The beaches are lined with beach front cantinas, tourist, and beach hawkers peddling typical touristy knicknacks. Our destination was a beach front restaurant called The Office, I had a Steak Fajita plate which as very good. During our meal we somehow got into a bargaining frenzy with this woman who was selling temporary henna tattoos. She was asking $20 per tattoo!! These are the same ones that you get at stores for $5.00 for a package of 10. After bargaining down to 2 dollars each, we all got a henna tattoo, the Chinese character (supposedly) for Friendship. Personally, I think it was the character for "Sucker", but I
kept that opinion to myself.

After our meal we wandered to this resort hotel, called The Resort Hotel. What it lacked in imagination it made up for in splendor. Hotel rooms start at $500.00 USD per night. We stayed in the pool area which is open to everyone (who buys a drink or something). After relaxing on the large canopy covered beds (15' x 15' easy), we decided parasailing the sport of choice for the day. After bargaining down the vendor we got the price down to $27 per person, they wanted $40 in the beginning.

This event required another water taxi ride from hell, to the parasailing boat. How this works is the parasail is attached to a rope that is slowly fed out as the boat drives at high speeds. The only problem with this process being that those who are either waiting
their turn or having gone end up getting soaked. Normally, on a hot day that's fine, but on this day it was cooler and the ocean was cold!!

Everyone one went up in doubles. I went with Amanda, a message therapist from England (Northern I suspect based on her accent). The parasailing is really quite nice, very peaceful, certainly a great view as well.

My First Cruise Under My Belt...

Its Sunday and the final "Sea day" for the current four day cruise. My report thus far: Carnival cruises markets toward middle America in a big way, which is admittedly nice that the "Average Joe" gets a chance to take some time off and see the sites, it doesn't necessarily translate well in terms of the spending power that the commission based ship operations so readily depends upon.

Its been said this ship, while a smaller member of the Carnival fleet, has one of the highest rates for additional services, which the includes the spa. The current talk among the staff of the Gift Shop, the Art Auctioneers, and the Spa is that of a definite decline in revenues.

I'd like to point out the focus, beyond providing the actual service, is very much on revenue. Every morning the Spa manager reviews the sales of the previous day and compares this against the profit target for the said day, those who do not meet this target are not made to feel warm and fuzzy inside. I'm exempt from this as I'm the acupuncturist, so no really knows what to do with me.

I had some empty appointment slots this cruise. A bit more that I would like. However, those who did come for treatment were very happy with the results. I've found that the Dr. Tan method works very nicely on board.

There were some troublesome passengers, who apparently lost several thousand dollars in the casino, demanded that their appointments for acupuncture and other treatments be cancelled. An annoyance to say the least.

The spa will be getting a new manager tomorrow, so I'm curious to see how see differs from the current one who is nearly obsessive with profit. Having worked three 12 hour days, I'm feeling a bit tired.

Tomorrow, we return to San Diego to begin another cruise.

Deck 10 - The Ultimate Destination

Today, I would like to address a fascinating phenomenon that I have noticed among the crew of the ship. I tentatively call this the "The Deck 10 Plan". I first became aware of this from the women who work in the spa. Apparently its the highest aspirations of many women on board to date one of the ship's many Italian officers. I have no doubt that these said officers don't mind this situation one bit. These officers have their large, luxurious rooms on Deck 10, which is why I chose the name I have for this little social trend.

Many of the women in the spa are dating these officers. It has been said that dating one of the "Steiner Spa Girls" is the height of social status for the men of the ship. Thus we see these two previously mentioned groups mingling as they do. So, where does this leave me?

Well, the women of the spa are still trying to figure me out, and being focused as I am, I'm just fine with having them wonder. I'm not feeling particularly moved to tell my life's story at this point. Whether I'm considered dating material remains to be seen. Also, I'm not exactly sure that I want to be dating material within this small group, as I detest drama, especially work drama.

That said, I must say that the women of spa are all attractive in their own ways, several of them in all ways. I choose to take the path of zen-like chilled-out-ness.

Eat-Work-Exercise-Sleep (PRN).

Let The Games Begin!!

So I have started my first actual day as an acupuncturist on board. I had the morning off as the passengers from the previous cruise leave and the ship readies for the next group. I spent part of this day moving to my new cabin. Frankly, I think I want my old cabin back. As this new one has issues!! The air conditioning is permanently stuck on low - which still makes my cabin about 60 degrees at all time. Also the layout is quite horrible. So there are some things to take care!! It does on the other hand have a small refrigerator which I have yet to put anything in. But enough about my cabin.

Spa tours begin at 2 pm on Embarkation Day (the first day of the cruise), so I offered a two minute speil on what I do and why they should come to see me. I had about 100 people in total come through, so hopefully I'll be booked the rest of the cruise.

I had three patients for my first day in the spa. I started at 5pm, with my last one at 8 pm. I finally got out of there around 9:45 pm. I have to say the concept of time is just different on a cruise ship, you still have to be somewhere on time, but you can get to anywhere on the ship in less than 5 minutes - what I am referring to is something different.

Ensenada: Yawn...

Our second port of call is Ensenada, which is nestled on the Baja coast just south of Tijuana. This quiet port town hasn't come to terms with its touristy nature. I did get off in this port and was profoundly underwhelmed. Sure, there are plenty of shops that sell a multitude of souvenir t-shirts that offer combinations of "Ensenada" with a fascinating selection booze and swear words. Undoubtedly a result of the locals high opinion of the American Tourists that frequent the cruise ships that dock here.

So without further ado, some pictures of Ensenada:

Ensenada - 11/21/2007

My First Foreign Port

Cabos San Lucas is our first port of call on my first ever trip out of the U.S. (Actually, I did take a brief jaunt into Canada, got a case of the "out-of-the-U.S." hives and came right back). Unfortunately in this instance I am unable to leave the ship due to training classes I have to attend.

I did, however, take some pretty good pictures. Enjoy.

First Trip to Cabos San Lucas

Day 2: Life Aboard a Cruise Ship

Settling into the routine of crew life has been easier than I expected. Admittedly there is the "newness" of it all, but I have found everyone to be friendly and helpful when I cannot find where I'm going. I've also found that different cultures do things differently, and are by no means trying to be insulting. For instance, I've many of the crew members from Indonesia will quickly push past others in the crew mess, but aren't being rude, its just how they do things.

I'd say a majority of the crew and staff get pretty annoyed with the passengers, especially with the recently discounted fares offered during the summer. They were actually offering $99.00 specials on this ship during August and September, and the most "interesting" people were gladly taking this offer. There are few extremely positive people on board and I'm naturally gravitating towards them.

I've been assigned a room temporarily, as the current acupuncturist is still on board until Thursday morning, at which time I take over the job and her cabin. Both cabins are tiny, maybe 8' x 8', and sadly no windows. You have to be a high muckity-muck for such an honor. I'm going to work on getting one of those cabins. Below you'll find pictures of my current cabin, I've put up a few things to make it a bit more comfortable, but not too much as I'm moving in a few days.

Arriving at the Ship

Waking up at 5 am to make my 6:45 flight to San Diego went smoothly, as did the flight. My Aunt Jill was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and take me out for an early lunch. 1 Calamari Sandwich later, I was ready to head to the ship.

My first impression of the ship was simply, "wow, that just big". Amusingly enough its one of the smaller members of the Carnival Fleet, with several coming out later in 2008-9 that will be double this size!!

Let's do some pictures, shall we? (double-click these to enlarge)Me in front of the ship

Aunt Jill and I across the street from the ship.

More to come, check back daily!!

Baggage

My new life can be summed up in 2 suitcases, 1 carry on, and a laptop. I leave in 10 hours.

I may be tardy with my next post, as I'm settling into my new digs. But I promise pictures!!!

2 Days to Go!!

The car is sold, most of my tools are sold or given away, I just have to finish shredding 43589 papers and putting out the recycling tonight and I think I have it all.

Ship here I come!!

Ticket in Hand, 4 Days to Go

I now have my ticket for the flight to San Diego, and 4 day to go until I depart. There are still somethings undone, but I'm getting there!!!

Most of my important items are sold, and a lot of the stuff left will go to Goodwill.

Counting down....

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!

Well, I've taken this blog's name to heart if the title of this post is any indication.

I've been packing and taking care of loose ends just to find more loose ends. It looks like Goodwill will make a killing off of me.

My car is still in the shop, so hopefully I can get it sold before Saturday, if not I have a few plan Bs in the works.

I'd like to be more excited, but right now, I'm just panicking!!

(Oh, for those of you who are new to blogging, please feel free to leave comments by clicking the "Post a Comment" link below).

The 34587934 things I have to do before I leave..

I got word today, that Nov 17 is totally firm, in writing, etc. So, there's just no more stalling for me. Here's what I have to do:

1. Reduce my life down to 2 suitcases
2. Sell my personal furniture (mainly bed & dresser)
3. Sell 43544654356 x 10^435345 tools
4. Get a tune up for Jeep
   
5. Sell my Jeep
6. Run around like a chicken with head cut off

More to come...

A Blog Dedicated to My Travels as a Sea Roving Medical Dude

Welcome one and all, this is my blog that I attempt to update regularly (ideally daily) in which I will tell of my adventures as the on board Acupuncturist/Naturopathic Doctor for cruise ship, Elation of the Carnival cruise line.

I leave for San Diego on November 17th and begin my 6 month contract. This ship does the Baja California route with most 5 day cruises. The acupuncturist who is finishing her contract will be there for a week after I arrive to get me acclimatized to this new life.

Check back frequently as I intend to add many pictures and give everyone an idea of what's like on a such a cruise ship as both passenger and crew member.